


Midnight on the Moon

by EmeraldRoseQuartz, TalkLokiToMe



Category: Loki - Fandom, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: AU, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Loki Falls In Love, Loki smut, Love, Magic, Quest, Sex, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Smut, Stubborn Loki, Vaginal Sex, Wilderness Survival, loki romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:42:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 43,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23179420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmeraldRoseQuartz/pseuds/EmeraldRoseQuartz, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TalkLokiToMe/pseuds/TalkLokiToMe
Summary: Frigga is ill, and the only cure lies on a distant moon. Loki, Thor, and a party of soldiers are about to leave...when an unexpected addition arrives with orders to join them. Runa is qualified, strong-willed, and exactly the person they need for this mission. But can Loki overcome his fear for Frigga’s fate and accept help from her to complete their quest?
Relationships: Loki (Marvel)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 66
Kudos: 94





	1. Chapter 1

**It was nearly time to leave.**

**Loki double-checked his pack, ensuring he had all the supplies he needed for the journey. It was dangerous, and they were going into wild territory...but he wouldn’t have stayed home for anything.**

**It had been months since Frigga had taken ill. At first, she just seemed a bit tired, but as time went on, she grew weaker and weaker. The healers tried everything they could, but her condition continued to worsen despite their efforts. Loki** **_had_ ** **to do something.**

**He researched, night and day, to try and discover what might be ailing his beloved mother...until he came across a rare curse that was so ancient it was unremembered. The symptoms matched exactly what Frigga suffered...and he read with horror that if she did not receive the cure, she would perish within a few weeks.**

**The only way to heal her was to retrieve the Midnight Flower, a plant only found on a forest moon of Alfheim. He had arranged for the search party at once. Thor volunteered immediately, as did several of the queen’s personal guards.**

**There was no time to waste. And as the day of departure got closer and closer, Loki became more and more tense, the worry for his mother's health and the unpredictability of the upcoming quest wearing on his nerves. He was increasingly irritable in the days leading up to the mission, but now that everything was ready to go, he just hoped there weren’t any surprises that might affect his careful planning.**

**After checking his pack for the third time, he finally convinced himself that nothing was missing. Loki closed his bag and took a deep breath, mentally preparing for the trials he would face.**

Runa’s heart thundered as she raced down the rainbow bridge atop her beloved mare, Hazel. The private meeting with the Allmother replayed over and over in her mind as the bifrost loomed ahead.

Poor Hazel nearly skidded to a halt in Runa’s haste to dismount. As she slid off the horse she took note of the company gathered around her, squaring her shoulders as she ignored their puzzled and amused expressions.

Prince Thor was standing and speaking solemnly to Heimdall, while Prince Loki busied himself with his pack.

_ Good _ , she thought, willing herself not to blush as she strode past him to Thor.

“Your Highness,” she said with a small curtsy. “I am to join you on your quest at the behest of the Allmother herself. King Odin bid me present this to you, noting his permission and approval of my attendance.” She passed a small scroll branded with Odin’s official seal to Thor as she spoke, making sure her back was straight and her head was held high despite the snickering she heard from the men behind her.

**Loki intentionally ignored the girl riding up on her little pony. He was familiar with Runa, as she was an apprentice to his mother, but he’d never been especially attentive.**

**Now, though, after hearing that she was going to be joining this carefully planned, perilous journey...**

**“What?! No, absolutely not.”**

**He left his pack where it was and walked over to Thor and Runa, looking at the official scroll as though it were the most distasteful thing he’d ever seen. Then he glared at her.**

**“Do you have** **_any_ ** **idea what we’ll be facing out there? Even the trained soldiers are at risk of injury or death on this mission - what experience do YOU have traversing the wild lands? I can’t afford to bring along any dead weight.”**

Runa huffed a breath. She knew of Loki’s condescension and temper of course; it was near legendary. But she’d never had it directed at  _ her _ before. She steeled herself, fully aware of how important it was to give Loki no opportunity to sway her determination. “Do you have  _ any  _ idea how to transport a Midnight Flower, let alone find one? As I am one of the only people in this realm to ever have studied a live specimen, I suppose the Allmother thought that was a sufficient enough qualification. Or is it  _ her  _ judgement you are questioning?”

She turned back to Thor. “We have little time, my lord. The plant must be harvested during a very specific lunar phase.”

She looked back to Loki, her face impassive. But under her cloak, her fists clenched, nails digging into her palms.

After a moment she added, “I am not some frivolous court lady. You’ll find that I am more at home in the woods than any palace, else the Queen would never have sent me.”

She crossed her arms at that, looking between the two princes with an eyebrow raised expectantly.

**Loki simply fumed for a moment, quite unused to be spoken to in such a manner. But he had become quite unused to a great many things since his mother had fallen ill...and it seemed this would just be another of those things.**

**He looked to Thor, questioning the sanity of bringing her along with his expression alone...and the look Thor gave him in return made him roll his eyes and storm back to his supplies. Even his brother was against him.**

**“Lady Runa,” Thor said cordially, but Loki could hear the weariness and worry in his tone. “Have you everything you need for the journey? We’ve enough food and water to last two weeks, but I had not accounted for your joining us. We haven’t much time before we must depart.”**

**Loki simply finished strapping his supplies to the pack, then threw it on his shoulders, ignoring her and heading toward the mouth of the Bifrost.**

**If she wanted to get killed, fine. His only concern was finding the flower and healing the queen.**

“It’s taken care of, my lord,” Runa said with a slight bow of her head. “The King has seen to it and— _ oh _ !” She turned her head toward the rainbow bridge at the sound of galloping hooves. “There we are.”

Footmen from the stables were approaching with four additional horses, all laden with supplies. They dismounted and handed the reins over to members of the guard, Runa thanking them.

Turning to Heimdell she said, “Can you send us as close to the northern bank of Lake Rökkr in Myrkviðr as possible?”

**“This is far too much for our trip. We need to travel light,” Loki grumbled, though no one seemed to be listening to him.**

**Wasn’t** **_he_ ** **the one that had discovered the cause of Frigga’s illness? Wasn’t** **_he_ ** **the one that had coordinated this mission in the first place? And now this little nobody of a lady-in-waiting was suddenly taking charge...and Thor was just letting it happen?!**

**Well, that was just fine. Once they were there, if he needed to split off and find the flower on his own, he would.**

**He worked better alone anyway.**

**He continued to silently fume as the Bifrost whirled to life, and sent them all careening through space toward the Alfan moon.**

When the swirling light and roar of the Bifrost disappeared, the group found themselves on a soggy shore, thick fog rolling heavily off the lake. The gnarled trees towering behind them were gray, leafless, and eerily still. Everything was...quiet. Not a single bird called. No small animals scampered noisily through dry leaves on the forest floor.

Runa clutched her cloak more tightly around her, looking around warily. She noticed she wasn’t the only one. The guards eyed the trees and the fog, hands braced against their sword hilts. Even Thor seemed to grip Mjolnir more tightly.

Hazel made a soft sound in her throat, nudging Runa’s shoulder, hooves shifting restlessly.

“Easy girl. Just a bit of fog,” she murmured, gently stroking the horse’s nose. “Just a bit of fog.”

Steeling herself once again, Runa walked over to Thor and Loki.

“My lords, might I ask what your first course of action would be, now that we’ve arrived, so we might best align our expertise?”

**Loki bristled as she approached, but tried not to let it show. She was here, and there wasn’t anything he could do about it now.**

**He had the map open in front of him...unfortunately, due to the damn fog, none of his display spells would work. He would have to proceed with this archaic navigation.**

**“I believe the best place to look for the Midnight Flower would be here, next to this marsh,” he pointed to a small body of water on the map, not too far from where they had landed. “With luck, we should be able to reach it within three or four days. The terrain is extremely difficult, which is why we weren’t bringing** **_horses_ ** **along in the first place.”**

**He glared at Runa surreptitiously before turning back to Thor.**

**“That area matches what I’ve been able to determine is the ideal growing conditions...I can only hope we’re successful.”**

Runa looked at the map where Loki pointed, noticing that his fingers moved across that paper with a surprising grace.

She pursed her lips, thinking. “What exactly do you know of this flower, my lord?”

**Her questions were grating...he intentionally turned his shoulder to face Thor more fully, and away from her.**

**“The Midnight Flower only blooms once a month, during the new moon on Alfheim - that is to say, when the planet’s shadow completely covers this moon. And only under ideal conditions...which this foggy marsh seems to embody, according to my research.”**

**Then he turned to Runa again, narrowing his gaze sarcastically.**

**“But perhaps our** **_resident expert on all things flora_ ** **has further insight that I was unable to garner.”**

**...Thor shifted uncomfortably, feeling the tension mounting between his brother and the woman.**

_ Oh dear, _ Runa thought, realizing the prince was well and truly irritated. She tried to give him a polite, respectful smile as she nodded.

“Yes, that is correct. The new moon, the shadow, all of that is essential. But there’s also a specific, um, fertilizer it requires. We’re going to need scouts.”

Thor took a step closer, eying the trees behind them as he did so. “Scouts for what, my lady?”

“Well, the flower will only grow out of any area frequented by a specific creature. A cockatrice. They’re nearly as rare as the flower itself. So if we want to find the flower, first we must find the cockatrice.”

She turned fully to face Loki. “The marsh climate is ideal, my lord. But if it is too far from the dwelling of any cockatrice, then it is unlikely to grow there. If we can find the beast, specifically somewhere it regularly feeds, we will be on the right track.”

  
  


**“And** **_what_ ** **is a cockatrice? I’ve never heard of it...it wasn’t mentioned in any of the texts...”**

**Loki realized her information was valuable...and that fact made him feel so put-off that he just wanted her to go back to Asgard and leave him be. He couldn’t admit, even begrudgingly, that**

“It’s a hybrid creature. A sort of smallish dragon with a head similar to a rooster. They have wings but they cannot fly. I would imagine our horses could outrun one if it came to that.” She pressed her lips together at that, repressing a smile. “As for the texts, well you can blame the Alfens for that. The cockatrice is something of a well-guarded secret. Its hide, both feathers and scales, are extremely valuable to them.”

“If they have intentionally kept this creature from the texts, then how did you come to know of it?” Thor asked.

This time, Runa could not suppress the slow, devious smile that spread across her face.

“Because, my prince, I am a master of my craft.”

**“Ah-ha...” Loki muttered, unimpressed. “Well then, let us keep an eye out for this mythical creature while we trek to the location I’ve indicated. Hopefully we won’t lose any horses or people along the way.”**

**With that, he stormed away from Runa and Thor, more than ready to begin the expedition if only to have some peace while traveling.**

**The rest of their party packed up the supplies on the horses, and before long, they were on their way through the fog and mist.**

**All the while, Loki could not help but feel as though they were being watched. He sent illusions out ahead of them as sentries, but never found anything. Still, he kept his guard up. If there was one thing he had learned, it was that his gut feeling was often more trustworthy than anything else.**

Runa kept close to Hazel, carefully guiding her mare through the fog. She didn’t know who was taking more comfort from the proximity, her or her steed. Something about this place was keeping them both on edge.

Their party walked quietly, speaking in low voices occasionally as they trekked through the darkening woods.

The fog was unrelenting and Runa thought they should abandon this path for higher ground and better visibility. Indeed, she wanted to revisit her idea for splitting up into scouting groups, but Prince Loki seemed determined to ignore her suggestions. She decided to wait before bringing it up again and see what the first day brought them. Perhaps taking a day to get acquainted with this strange land would do them all well. She certainly couldn’t stop herself from collecting a few samples along the way. Her spare pack was half full already with carefully wrapped root and bark shavings as well as cuttings from half a dozen different plants.

But her mind could not fully focus on anything in front of her. She kept thinking of the Queen, how pale she had looked in her sick bed. Runa’s heart tightened at the thought. Her hand absently slid inside her cloak, fingering the carefully buttoned inner pocket concealing the small scroll the Queen had given her. She took comfort in knowing it was there, as though she had a little piece of the Queen herself with her to give her strength.

Runa was relieved when they decided to stop and make camp for the night. The light and warmth from their cooking fire was a welcome comfort. Even the men seemed to be in better spirits because of it, talking and laughing merrily as they ate their dinner.

Runa was the last to join them around the fire, having taken extra time to set up her small tent on her own, despite the offer of assistance from one of the guards.

She paused for a moment, realizing the only open space left around the fire was next to Prince Loki.

_ Wonderful _ , she thought, preparing herself for more rudeness and contempt. She took a plate of her share and went to sit down to eat.

**Thor picked at his food quietly as he sat next to Loki, obviously wanting to say something but unsure of how. Loki rolled his eyes at the passive aggression...which Thor was not good at.**

**“** **_What_ ** **, Thor? What is it?” Loki snapped, putting down his fork and glaring at his brother. “Is something the matter? Stop tiptoeing around it and say what you mean.”**

**Thor just groaned a bit and looked at him...whereas normally that kind of challenge would have been met with an equally vitriolic response, Thor seemed completely drained of energy and out of fight.**

**“You should be nicer to that girl...” he mumbled, taking a small bite of his food. “Her knowledge may prove crucial in this quest, and she is simply following the orders of her king and queen.”**

**“She is a nuisance,” Loki replied. “A nuisance and a—“**

**He stopped as he heard light footsteps approaching from behind...her footsteps.**

**He sighed, and continued to eat in silence.**

Runa gave a polite nod to the princes as she sat. “My lords.”

From the way their conversation had abruptly stopped as she approached, she knew they must have been speaking of her. She tried to ignore the warmth blossoming in her cheeks as she quietly tucked into her meal, hoping it wasn’t noticeable in the glow of the fire.

**Thor cleared his throat, obviously trying to ease the prickly discomfort of Loki’s attitude in her presence.**

**“Lady Runa, how are you fairing? The journey so far seems not to have been too difficult for you and your mare...Hazel, is it?”**

**He tried to give her a warm smile, but his fatigue was unmistakable, especially in his eyes. It showed how his mother’s illness weighed on him.**

“I’m well, my lord, thank you. Yes, it’s Hazel. She is up to the task. This is not her first long excursion.”

She smiled back at him kindly. She glanced at Loki, who seemed to be pointedly not looking at her while he ate.

_ Don’t be a coward.  _ She took a breath and added, “Do you think we have made decent progress for the first day, Prince Loki?”

**Sitting between Thor and Runa, who were both attempting to include him in a civil conversation, was trying his patience.**

**If it were up to him, he would have gone on this quest alone - he always worked better alone, when he didn’t have to worry about what anyone else thought or said or did...but his mother had insisted on taking a party, and he couldn’t bring himself to argue with her when he was next to her bedside.**

**And now...now this girl had been forced into his already-compromised plans. He hated NOT being in control of this very important mission, especially given what was at stake.**

**But...Thor was right, as usual. His mother wouldn’t be happy with how he was treating her. So, for Frigga’s sake, Loki quelled the urge to either ignore her or yell at her, took a breath, and responded.**

**“Yes. So far I believe we are traveling at a good pace. With luck, our trek will continue as it has and we will reach our destination sooner than expected.”**

**Then he turned and looked at her, truly looked at her for the first time since she’d inserted herself into the search party...and with a pang of guilt he saw just how worried and tense she was as well. Frigga was her queen and mentor, after all, and Loki could tell she cared deeply for his mother.**

**He rubbed his forehead with another exhale. He was being selfish...perhaps he should lighten up on her, as Thor suggested; there was no reason to make this sojourn more difficult than it already was.**

**“Have you seen any evidence of cockatrices?”**

“No, not yet. From what I understand, they like it cool, dark, and damp. So this chilly fog is ideal. They’re usually more active at night, but they tend to make very distinctive markings on trees, so I was hoping we might at least spot that during the day, if not tracks...”

The prince was staring at her intently while she spoke, and she was so distracted by the deep green of his eyes up close that she trailed off without finishing her thought. But before she could make a complete fool of herself, one of the men on the other side of the fire laughed loudly, jolting her brain back into working order.

“If—if not tracks we could follow,” she finished finally, with a little shake of her head.

**Perhaps it was the stress of their situation. Perhaps it was the fatigue. Or perhaps it was just a trick of the light. But when her sentence faded off and she simply stared into his eyes, his heart fluttered a bit, and he felt a knot in the pit of his stomach.**

**Just as quickly, the moment was over.**

**Loki cleared his throat as they both looked away from each other, and ate another bite of food.**

**“I see...what, ah...what do these distinctive markings look like? Could you draw it out? I have my own ‘scouts’ patrolling ahead of us...it would be helpful to know what to look for. Show me the tracks as well.”**

“Of course.” Runa leaned over and grabbed a small stick waiting to be thrown into the fire. In the dirt before them she drew three parallel lines, and then crossed those with three additional parallel lines, making something of a triple X.

“They gouge marks like this into the trees to keep their talons sharp, but also to scent-mark their territory.”

She then drew the three-clawed track mark into the dirt beside it. “They have a rather wide gait as well, so each footprint would have significant space before the next one.”

She looked up at Loki but he was studying the marks she had drawn.

“May I see your map again, my lord?”

**“Hm?”**

**He was brought out of his thoughts by her request...had he seen that mark earlier? They seemed familiar. For some reason, he was having trouble remembering...**

**“Ah, yes of course.” He pulled out the rolled-up map from his pack and handed it to her. “What are you looking for?”**

Runa traced her finger over the space between the lake where they’d arrived and the marsh Loki had indicated as their destination. She turned around, looking up at the dark mountain looming behind them.

“I think...perhaps you could send some of your scouts up the elevation a bit?” She spent a moment turning the map this way and that. “I have a feeling they may nest higher up, trekking down the mountain to hunt.”

**Loki nodded absentmindedly, still focused on the marks she had drawn on the ground. “I’ll send them out in the morrow,” he said quietly. He felt so drained all of the sudden.**

**Finishing the last of his food, he stood and wiped down his mess kit, returning it to his pack. Then he realized Runa was still watching him...as was Thor.**

**“What?” he asked sharply, feeling that grating irritation returning. “Is there something you want to say?”**

**Thor’s eyebrows peaked in concern at Loki’s rapid change of attitude...again. “You look weary, brother. Perhaps you should turn in for the night. We have already arranged for the watch this evening.”**

**...which meant they did NOT want him to be the only one awake while they slept. He scoffed.**

**“Fine. I’ll sleep the night. Hopefully it will do me some good in helping to track these beasts tomorrow...”**

**Normally, he would have argued more about it...but he was far too spent from the day's journey. Much more so than he would have expected.**

**_Must be the fog. Or the marshes._ **

Runa looked back and forth between the two brothers. Loki did indeed look weary. Had those shadows under his eyes been there all day? She watched him walk away, feeling suddenly concerned, when she realized she was still holding his map.

“Oh, wait! Prince Loki!” she called, hurrying after him.

“Here. Your map.” She handed him the rolled paper. “And...” she hesitated, chewing on her lip for a moment. “And I want you to know that I care very much for the Queen. I know you weren’t expecting to have me along but...I would do anything for her, to see her well again. So, um, goodnight, then.” With that she turned and walked quickly into her own tent, cursing her ineloquence.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Loki’s condition worsens, it becomes clear that all is not what it seems on the forest moon...

**While he slept, Loki was haunted by nightmares. Monstrous demons attacked him, tore him limb from limb while he screamed, unable to fight back. He tried to use his magic, to draw seidr and fend them off, but it was no use; he awoke abruptly in the early morning, a cold sweat matting his hair to his forehead and cheeks, and he looked about wildly before realizing that the creatures who destroyed him were only in his mind.**

**The sky was still dark when he left his tent, just the barest hint of sunrise on the horizon. The guard keeping watch saw him and acknowledged him, giving a casual salute, and Loki gestured a greeting to him in return. But he had no desire to interact; instead, he headed to the outskirts of their camp, his thoughts still reeling with the horrors he experienced in his dream.**

**And he felt even weaker than yesterday, despite his rest. His head was throbbing and his eyes felt gritty. He’d never had an illness like this before, but there was naught he could do about it now. He had to find that flower...or there was no hope for Frigga.**

Perhaps getting up early to bathe hadn’t been the best decision. The water was absolutely freezing and Runa was shivering before she even finished undressing, but she wanted to take advantage of the opportunity while she still had it. Tomorrow night they might make camp somewhere that didn’t afford the luxury. And besides, there was nothing like icy water, chilly fog, and a creepy forest to have you feeling alert before dawn.

She wanted to collect some more samples before sunrise, particularly from some of the creeping vines she had seen along the trees. Crepuscular species were her favorite, and this moon seemed to be rife with them.

So she found herself starting to get ready for the day while it was still dark out, determined not to be any cause for a late start with the rest of the party. She shuddered to think of the way Loki might react to having to wait for  _ her _ of all people.

Runa forced herself to take the plunge and submerge herself fully under the water, scrubbing herself as quickly as possible. All she could think about was wrapping herself up in her dry towel and how nice it would be to dress and return to the campfire.

**Suddenly, Loki heard splashing in the nearby lake. Immediately on full alert, he scanned the surface of the water for any movement...until he saw ripples coming from the shallows nearby...**

**Breath held and eyes locked on to the site, he materialized a dagger and began approaching cautiously. Something was** **_in_ ** **there, and odds were good it was a threat to him and the rest of the party.**

**Then, he saw it surfacing...he bought his arm back, ready to strike...**

When she emerged, blinking the water from her eyes and gasping for air, she let out a scream and nearly dove back under the water. A dark figure was standing over her with a blade raised in its hand!

**“RUNA?!”**

**Loki stumbled back, losing his balance. His feet scrambled to find purchase on the slick, wet ground, but he couldn’t find his footing - his legs came out from under him and he landed in the mud with a disturbing squelching sound. Although he wasn’t injured in the fall, the sensation of cold, slimy mud on his ass (first thing in the morning on a hostile forest moon after fighting off illness and nightmares) was just the thing to push him from mildly frightened and irritated to completely livid.**

**He lost it.**

**“WHAT IN THE NINE REALMS DO YOU THINK YOU’RE—”**

**And he stopped. He saw the fear in her eyes, the absolute terror of near death at his hand; the guilt, the shame...and she was completely nude, the early light shimmering off her fair skin...**

**His fury cooled back to irritation almost immediately. With a grunt, he stood up, scraping the sticky muck off his pants and flinging it back onto the ground.**

**“Are you alright?” he asked gruffly.**

For a moment Runa was completely speechless, her heart beating so loud it was all she could hear. Her nails were digging deep grooves into the surface of her little bar of soap as she clutched it to her chest.

Prince Loki?! He could have  _ killed  _ her! He was well known for his accuracy with a blade. Had he not realized in time...

“I am...what are  _ you  _ doing?” The feeling was coming back to her body, and with it, the unpleasantness of the cold. She was suddenly aware of the fact that she was naked in fairly shallow water and staring at the prince. At once she folded her arms over her chest to cover her breasts, hoping it was too dark for him to see the rest of her beneath the water.

**Loki kept his eyes averted, finishing scraping off the mud and trying to rub his hands clean.**

**“I woke early,” he said flatly. “And I needed to clear my head.”**

**He took several steps back from the shore, keeping his back to her. “I’ll allow you to finish your...ablutions,” he muttered before heading to the camp to start the fire for breakfast.**

The second Loki turned away, Runa darted out of the water to her blanket, teeth chattering and shivering from head to toe. She just stood there like that for a few moments, unable to move, replaying what had happened over and over in her mind.

She dressed quickly and braided her wet hair back out of her face and off her neck. Now that she’d recovered from the shock of it all, she realized the prince hadn’t looked well. Even in the dim light of early morning she could tell that his face looked gaunt and his eyes were ringed with dark circles. She decided to search for some herbs to make him a tonic while she collected her samples.

A half hour later the sun had crested the horizon, and though it was still overcast, the light was welcome and seemed to chase away that lingering bit of fear from the scare Loki had given her. Runa had ventured deeper into the forest, her little bag bulging with vegetation, when she saw it.

On a tree up ahead; the triple X gouged deep into the trunk.

She hardly dared to breathe. She stood very still, listening intently, eyes roving over every inch of her surroundings. Carefully, she crept toward the tree for a closer look.

The markings were old. The exposed part of the tree had already oxidized and healed over to some extent. But she was in their territory now.

Excitement fluttered through her as she rushed back to the camp to tell the princes.

When Runa arrived at the campsite, everyone was busy eating breakfast and seeing that the horses were tended to and ready for the day. She spotted Loki first, but he was sitting with his hand over his eyes massaging his temples, a steaming mug of tea held loosely in his other hand.

_ Damn _ . She’d completely forgotten about his tonic.

She went over to Thor instead. “Your Highness, good morning. I’ve found one. I found the mark of a cockatrice on a tree in the woods, just over a mile north of here.”

**Thor looked up at her from his meal and smiled. “That’s wonderful news! We appear to be on the right track.”**

**Loki peered over at the two, grumbling. He was still ill at ease about what had happened with Runa at the lake...and his headache wasn’t improving. He’d even tried to magic it away, but...well, the state he was in, even drawing enough seidr for a minor pain relief was a trial. Though Thor spoke excitedly, he seemed drained as well; not as badly as Loki, but still more fatigued than Loki would have expected. There must be something affecting them on this moon...but the guards and Runa appeared to be undisturbed. What was the cause?**

**Loki listened in as Thor continued with Runa. “Are these creatures dangerous? What else should we know of them...other than they have rather impressive claws?”**

“They have highly valuable venom, but I don’t know if that is from their beaks, talons, or tails.”

Runa looked at the men who were gathering around to see what the excitement was about. Some seemed eager but most looked wary.

She chanced a glance back over to Loki. He was watching them now, that same weary look on his face.

“Perhaps now would be a good time to split up. I think we should head north up the mountain, in the direction I saw the marking, rather than continue toward the marsh.” She looked at Loki again, noting how pale he seemed.

“And perhaps...a few people could stay here, as a sort of home base. We could report back here....”

**“We should stay together,” Loki interrupted, his voice raw and hoarse. He struggled to stand, feeling some vertigo as he reached his full height, but once he was upright he walked over to the gathered group.**

**“If we separate, we may lose people. One should** **_never_ ** **split the party.” He gave Runa a narrow-eyed glare. Despite what happened that morning, she was NOT in charge of this expedition and it irked Loki that she seemed to be acting that way. “And the Midnight Flower does not grow on mountains. It grows near marshes...I know at least that much, even if I’m not Her Royal Botanist.”**

**He knew he was being harsh, but her presumption and his condition were wearing his patience thin.**

“It  _ grows _ in cockatrice dung, marsh or no,” she ground out. But before she could say anything else, Thor cut in.

“Lady Runa, your expertise is much needed for this quest, and therefore I quite agree with Loki that we should stay together, so we may all benefit from it. We have made excellent progress so far. We will reach the marsh earlier than expected if we stay the course. Let’s continue that way and if needed, we can branch out from there.”

With that, Thor gave the order to load the horses so they could be on their way. Runa had no choice but to go along with it, though she gave Loki a very pointed glare as she went to find Hazel.

**Loki traveled in silence for the rest of the day. It was partly because he wanted nothing to do with the girl and her attitude...but also because he was barely able to stay standing. Step after step, he trudged through the muck and mire, leading one of the horses and using the reins to steady himself. He absolutely refused to ride, despite Thor’s suggestion. The extra weight would trap the horse’s hooves in the soft mud, he insisted. Truthfully...he may have passed out if he didn’t keep moving.**

**It was an arduous trek, and he was glad Thor knew enough about cartography that he kept them on track - usually Loki would be the one navigating. But he was compelled to give the task to his brother when he could no longer see the map clearly through his blurry vision...**

**Along the way, Runa scouted ahead slightly and came back with news of more markings along the trees. At least they seemed to be zeroing in on their prize...but that feeling of being watched never abated.**

**Finally, as the sun began to set, they stopped to set up camp near a rushing river. The moving current ensured fresh water for the men and horses, and they found a nearly dry spot within a grove of trees. While everyone unpacked and began to pitch their tents for the night, Loki stalked off to the outskirts of the clearing, sat at the roots of a tree, and promptly fell asleep.**

Runa looked over at the tree where Loki had nodded off. Something wasn’t right. She knew the younger prince had his eccentricities, but he was not acting like himself.

Perhaps she should speak to Thor about it and see what might be done. She found him splashing water over his face next to the river.

“Prince Thor, might I have a word?”

**Thor shook the droplets from his face and rubbed the water out of his beard. Smiling, he looked up at Runa and stood, drying his hands on his shirt.**

**“Of course, Lady Runa. What would you like to discuss?”**

“Your brother, sire. Is he unwell? He has been acting oddly since we arrived. Is there something to be done? Does he need herbs? I can make him a tonic.”

**Thor’s countenance became stony at her question. “Yes...he seems quite ill. I don’t recall him ever being this sick before. But I know not what to do about it; he’s as stubborn as a territorial bilgesnipe. If you believe you can ease him of his ails, even just a bit, please, I implore you to do so. He may be irritable, but he will not turn away that which will help him on this quest.”**

**Thor turned to look at his sleeping brother and a truly concerned expression crossed his features.**

**“Please, do what you can. I just hope we can find the flower and return to Asgard quickly, where he might recover along with Frigga. I have also been feeling more weary than usual, but he seems nearly at death’s door.”**

“I’ll see what I have in my pack to work with, sire,” Runa said with a small bow of her head. “I am no healer, though my skills have me working with them frequently. You have no idea what could be the cause? Is it not strange that both you and Prince Loki suddenly feel out of sorts at the same time?”

She was looking more closely at Thor as she said this, noticing that he too seemed a bit paler than usual.

**“I cannot say for certain, but...it also appears to be affecting my ability to control my powers of lightning. Watch.”**

**Thor held out his hand, and some tiny white sparks began dancing between his fingers. He grunted with the effort, and before anymore could come of it, he stopped, panting.**

**“That is all I can do...and even that small demonstration was...quite difficult.” Suddenly he was light headed, and he stumbled slightly, leaning on Runa’s shoulder for balance.**

**“It seems something about this moon is drawing our magic out of us...and Loki is much more attuned to his magic than I...it is little wonder he suffers so greatly, if that is the case.”**

Runa watched Thor’s attempt to call lightning with a growing sense of dread. This was not good at all. She knew from Queen Frigga that Loki essentially lived and breathed magic, so if the moon was draining them of their power...

“Let me help you to the campfire, your highness. Then I’ll get ingredients for a tonic together straight away.”

**Loki stirred when he heard movement nearby.**

**His dreams had just begun, and though he hadn’t dropped off into a full, deep sleep, he could already see the creatures coming for him in his mind...**

**The noise awoke him. His green eyes shot open and he took a sharp breath, looking around the dimly lit forest for the threat he knew was lurking there...but all he saw was the campfire and tents about 50 yards away. The rustling, however, was much closer, and seemed to be moving past him.**

**Lethargically, he turned his head and saw a small female figure wandering off into the shaded trees.**

**_Runa...what in the Nine is she up to?_ **

**With great effort - though little sound, as he was eager to keep her from knowing his presence - Loki stood and began to follow her, curious as to why she would go into the woods at night unescorted.**

**Something about it seemed very suspicious...and the sense of being watched was so strong now he felt almost paranoid.**

**Carefully, he kept his distance and never lost sight of her as she went deeper into the forest.**

After searching her pack, Runa realized she was short a key ingredient for the tonic: ginseng root. But she was pretty sure she had spotted its telltale red berries here and there as they traveled.

As she went to collect her bag, she took her full pack as well, thinking she might spend some extra time looking for more cockatrice markings. Thor was already drifting off to sleep when she left him by the campfire. Sleep would do both of the princes good—surely their tonics could wait until morning? And wouldn’t it be wonderful if she could wake them with the news that she’d found an actual nest?

With that thought, she pulled the hood of her cloak up over her head and quietly slipped out of the firelight and into the woods.

She’d only been walking for about 10 minutes when she spotted the ginseng. Sinking to her knees, she grabbed the plant right at the base, twisting the roots out of the earth in one swift movement. She pulled up a few this way so she would have extra, shaking the loose dirt off before carefully wrapping it in cloth and putting it in her bag. As she was about to stand, the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She looked around, feeling as though someone was watching her, but saw nothing.

_ Don’t be ridiculous _ , she told herself, and continued to walk further uphill.

That’s when the screaming started.

The unmistakable shouts of panicked men cut through the dark night coming from the direction of their camp. Should stood frozen for a moment unsure of what she should do, how she could help, when a second sound reached her ears. The high, keening whinny of frightened horses.

“Hazel!” she cried, and pulling a small dagger from beneath her cloak, she tore off through the woods back toward the camp.

**Loki heard the screaming and cries of panic at the same moment as Runa. His head snapped around toward the camp, and he watched as she ran back toward the chaos...**

**Then he saw the shadow of a large creature rushing through the trees, moving swiftly as wind...directly toward her.**

**With a burst of adrenaline, Loki bolted for her, charging over the leaves and sticks of the forest floor.**

**_I’m not going to get there in time..._ **

**He pushed himself harder, even trying to draw seidr to speed his steps. He felt himself accelerating just slightly, just enough...**

**That’s when she saw the monster rushing toward her, and she screamed.**

**It jumped toward her.**

**And Loki leapt in its path.**

**Searing pain scorched across his chest as the claws of the beast raked his torso, and he was thrown into Runa. He was flying backward...then he was falling...then he splashed into the rapid current of the rushing river behind them.**

Everything happened so fast. Runa barely had time to process the horrific monster bearing down on her when Loki was there, taking the blow meant for her. She would have screamed again when he was struck, but the beast batted Loki away, right into her. The breath was knocked from her chest as they both were thrown into the river.

The current was so strong she had to struggle to keep her head up.

“Lo-Loki?!” she called, searching for him in the dark water. She spotted him a few feet ahead of her. He didn’t look conscious.

Panicked, she threw all of her strength into swimming toward him. She only made it because the current was in her favor.

The screams and shouting from their camp faded as they were whisked away. Runa grabbed Loki’s arm, and hooked it over her shoulder to keep his head above the water.

“Sire! Loki!” she cried, shaking him as best she could while trying to keep them both afloat. But Loki’s head lolled to the side, eyes closed.

“Oh Norns help me.” Runa kicked her feet and clung to the prince as tightly as she could, praying that the Queen’s beloved son wasn’t dead in her arms.

It was nearly light out when Runa was finally able to drag them to shore. Her muscles were shaking with exhaustion but she had to keep going. She could  _ not  _ let Loki die.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki barely hangs on as Runa does her best to keep them both alive.

**Loki knew he was in a dream. Everything seemed...hazy. The light around him was diffused by some kind of...well, he couldn’t be sure. But none of that mattered, since Frigga was standing before him, holding her hands in front of her calmly, with all the poise and grace he’d come to expect from the queen.**

**“Mother?” he whispered, voice strained. Something was wrong. This wasn’t real, but he could sense that there was danger, that he must fight.**

**“Trust her, Loki.”**

**Frigga’s eyes were sad, but resolved, full of love for him and regret for the choices she’d made that had hurt him. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she watched him, and she smiled in a way that broke his heart.**

**“I love you, my son. Be strong.”**

**Loki could feel the tears in his eyes as she began to fade.**

**“No! NO come BACK!”**

**He reached for her, called for her, cried for her as she turned to mist and the white light around him became darkness.**

**Loki’s eyes shot open and he coughed violently. Water gushed from his mouth, and he was rolled to his side as he cleared his lungs of the foul liquid, gasping and sputtering. For just a moment, he was certain he was dead...until the pain returned.**

**And then he heard a voice.** **_Runa’s_ ** **voice.**

“Prince Loki,” she croaked, shaking him. She coughed a few times, pressing on his chest as she did so.

“Loki!”

Blood soaked through his sodden clothes under her hands, but there was no point tending to his wound if he had well and truly drowned.

When he suddenly coughed water and his eyes opened, bloodshot as they were, she nearly cried in relief.

“Oh, thank the Norns!” She rolled him to his side as he continued to cough, prayers, thanks, and curses mixing together and tumbling out of her mouth.

The moment she saw he was breathing consistently on his own, she dove for her soggy pack.

“Oh gods, oh gods, no that won’t do.” She emptied her bag of wilted and mushy cuttings and leaves, finally settling on a few small glass vials.

“Bless the nines, tea tree oil and eucalyptus. Loki, this is going to burn. Lie back.”

With that, she tore the front of his shirt open and started dropping the oil into the deep claw marks marring his chest.

**Loki lost his breath when the deep, searing pain radiated from his chest and through his body. He groaned gutturally, and he almost passed out again, but as the blackness began to encroach around the edges of his vision and stars danced before his eyes, he forced himself to remain conscious.**

**_Fight for her, FIGHT FOR HER._ **

**The pain crested...then began to subside. He gasped, blood rushing to his head, and his back arched instinctively, forcing him into a shallow bend.**

**He cried out, fists clenching and mouth drawn back into a snarl.**

“It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s going to be okay,” Runa chanted to herself. Her hands shook as she tried to disinfect Loki’s wound.

She looked around frantically, trying to decide what to do next. She had no clean dry cloth to bandage him, let alone stop the bleeding. Hel, she had no dry anything; everything they had was soaked...

“Oh!” Runa’s hand shot to her cloak, fumbling with the small buttoned compartment. She pulled out the scroll from Frigga.

Thank the Norns. The queen must have enchanted the parchment. It was still dry and unharmed. With a sigh of relief, she hastily returned it and went back to assessing her surroundings.

They had traveled far down the river. The woods here were different. Blessedly, there was no fog, and the trees were more coniferous; pine needles littered the ground everywhere, though the branches were still full of fresh green cover. She even heard a few birds calling as dawn began to approach and could have wept with joy.

Loki was in no position to move, but they needed shelter. She also needed to start a fire to warm them and begin drying their clothes. But she  _ also  _ needed to further clean Loki’s wound, gather herbs for healing, and determine whether or not there was venom in his system from those blasted creatures.

And she’d spent all night swimming.

Runa let out a little sob of desperation as she looked down at Loki. He was panting now, his beautiful face contorted in pain.

Rallying the very last of her strength, she dragged Loki further from the bank onto drier ground, scooping up a large mound of dry pine needles to pile under his head. She stripped them both of their boots and socks, and as many of her own outer layers as she could, laying them out flat to dry. She didn’t dare try to take Loki’s jacket off for fear of his chest injury. At last, she gathered enough sticks to start a small fire to begin warming them.

Her strength failing her at last, she lay next to Loki, who was gritting his teeth, lost to the pain.

“Please don’t die,” she whispered, and everything went dark.

**Loki went in and out of consciousness. He couldn’t tell if it was a few hours, a few days...longer. At times, he could hear Runa talking to herself or rummaging through her pack, but he hadn’t the strength to move or respond. The pain in his chest was excruciating, and he could feel what he thought might be some kind of necrosis setting in.**

**And there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.**

**But, despite his precarious position, he knew deep down, somehow, that this was not his end. The vision of Frigga haunted his troubled dreams, that same heart-wrenching smile carved into his memory as he tried to reach her. She needed his help, and he could not -** **_would not_ ** **\- let her down.**

**“Frigga...”**

**Finally, after what felt like an eternity in his disabled state...he spoke. His brows peaked as her image smiled and faded for the last time...**

**Then he opened his eyes, squinting in the light.**

**_Where am I? How long have I been out?_ **

Runa jolted upright at the sound of Loki’s voice, hastily brushing away the dry pine needles clinging to her face and hair.

The sun - and thank the Norns there was actually sun shining on them today - had risen fully. She must have been out for hours.

“Loki! Loki you’re still alive.” She put a hand on his cheek, then forehead, checking for fever.

“You’re burning up. How do you feel?” She dove for her bag and started digging in it, searching for something to give him.

**She was speaking so fast...his muddled brain couldn’t keep up.**

**“Runa...how long...”**

**Then the strength left him and he groaned, another shot of pain spreading through him. He tried to move, to sit up, but he found it impossible. With a strained sigh, he resolved to stay where he was on the dried needles.**

“Here,” she said, holding a strip of willow bark to his mouth. “Chew on this. It’s a little damp still but that doesn’t matter. It will help with the pain.”

She sat back and released a long sigh, running a hand over her face. “Last night. It hasn’t yet been a full day. I swam all throughout the night. The current was too strong to fight to get us to shore. We were carried for...miles. I don’t know how far.”

**Loki took the bark in his mouth and began to chew, more pain shooting from his jaw as he worked on the tough material. It took so much effort just to do that...**

**With a heavy sigh, he tried to collect his thoughts and get a grasp on his situation. They had been separated from the party by miles, and there was no way to know if the others were still unharmed...or alive. There were dangerous creatures hunting them. And he couldn’t use his magic; he couldn’t even move.**

**And the only hope he had was this girl.**

“When that works to ease your pain a bit, do you think there’s any way you can move? We need shelter and I can make a proper fire there. I don’t know if there are any caves but I saw a large boulder that must have fallen down the cliff just up ahead. We can take cover in the space beneath it. And...I’m going to need to get you out of those wet clothes so they can dry.”

She stood and walked over to the contents of her pack which were strewn about the ground from her earlier search for herbs and supplies.

“This blanket is nearly dry now. It’s not much but you can cover yourself with it in the meantime...since you don’t have any other clothes.”

Why oh  _ why  _ did she need to blush right now? This was not the time. She needed to focus. It was a matter of survival, nothing more.

**Though he balked at the idea of undressing in front of her...she had a point - he needed to rid himself of the wet clothes, lest he expose himself to even more malaise.**

**What was worse, though, was that he was quite certain he couldn’t remove them by himself. Especially with his injury.**

**_Norns be with me._ **

**“I’ll need...help...” he rasped, the indignity of it seeping into his tone.**

It took nearly a half an hour for Runa to get Loki the 50 yards to the fallen rock. She supported most of his weight as they moved, but the blood that leaked from his chest getting him up nearly made the both of them faint.

Under cover of the large boulder, she lay him on one of the thin blankets, and set about removing the rest of his clothes, averting her eyes as much as she possibly could and nearly throwing the second blanket over him as soon as she was done.

The whole ordeal was so arduous for Loki that he lost consciousness again as soon as she laid him back down. Taking advantage of this, Runa gathered supplies for a large fire, laying out Loki’s clothes to dry. She took her own spare shirt from her bag and ripped it into strips for bandages. Finally, seeing that he was still unconscious, she removed the rest of her clothes to dry as well so she was just in her undergarments, and set about properly cleaning and dressing his wound.

**Loki didn’t recall when he’d lost consciousness. The next thing he remembered was feeling soft hands delicately tending to his bare and injured chest. He was near delusional at this point, and her touch felt...** **_wonderful_ ** **.**

**He smiled almost drunkenly at the feel of those hands on his skin. Even though he was aware of the pain, it seemed to be simply a constant sensation now relegated to the back of his mind.**

**He was able to open his eyes just enough to take in her form, so lovely in the diffused light of the forest. The way it danced on her auburn hair - matted as it was - was ethereal and stunning. And her honey-colored eyes...they seemed to sparkle and glisten.**

**“Thank you...angel,” he muttered, unsure if the beautiful being could hear him or if she would respond.**

Runa’s hands froze over Loki’s chest.

Did he just say...?

“My lord?” Runa asked, reverting to the distance of a title as her cheeks and ears heated.

But he didn’t answer her. He swallowed thickly and blinked with heavy-lidded eyes.

Runa cleared her throat. “The wound is as clean as I can get it. I’m going to make a poultice to apply before setting the bandages.”

Adding more wood to the fire, Runa stepped away to scout for ingredients she could use. All the while, her mind raced.

_ Angel, angel, angel. _

She was being ridiculous and she knew it. The prince was delirious with fever and didn’t know what he was saying. He could be having hallucinations for all she knew and he probably wouldn’t even remember it later.

_ And yet... _

The prince was well known for his tricks and lies. His reputation was mixed at best. But Runa had grown used to seeing him through Frigga’s eyes, of hearing the childhood stories of his cleverness and heartbreak, his triumphs and fears. And even when the worst of his deeds reached her, the tales spreading through the castle like wildfire, Runa couldn’t help thinking of the way Frigga’s face lit up when she spoke of her son.

And so for years Runa had watched and wondered, harboring her secret crush, resigning herself to professional distance. But in the end, she found it was difficult not to love that which Frigga cherished.

**Loki drifted between reality and a dreamy semi-reality until she returned. Sometimes things were hilarious, other times the excruciating pain returned. But he finally came to when she began to rub the ointment on his wounds. Half of his brain panicked at the agony of it...and the other half revelled in the pleasure it gave him to be touched by her again.**

**He whimpered with need as she worked, eyes opening and closing as the sensations coursed through him, until finally, she bandaged him and left his side.**

**With a deep sigh, he slipped into unconsciousness once again...despite the impressive erection tenting the blanket on top of him.**

Runa applied the poultice as carefully as she could over the deep cuts. Loki watched her through bleary eyes until finally drifting off to sleep. She went to add the second blanket over him, deciding only to use her cloak for herself when she saw...

Her eyes went wide. She looked back at Loki’s face but he was still asleep.

_ Don’t read into it, Runa. He’s just...relaxed. Responding to your care. Nothing more. _

She couldn’t help looking again. She was feeling a bit light-headed all of a sudden.

_ Stop it! You have things to do if you both want to live through this.  _ And so she averted her gaze and got to work.

Throughout the rest of the day and into the night, Runa watched over Loki, coaxing him to take small sips from her waterskin and gently wiping his cheeks and forehead with a cool cloth. She knew she would need to do something about food soon, but at the very least their clothes were dry and the fire was keeping them warm.

Runa was exhausted but she was afraid to sleep. What if there was another attack? She hadn’t dared leave Loki’s side long enough to look for signs of cockatrices...not that she could do much if they came now.

She settled herself up against the cliff-face, gently taking Loki’s head in her lap so she could keep attending to his fever.

She would sit up and keep watch all night. She wouldn’t let anything else happen to him. She wouldn’t fall asleep, she wouldn’t...

**Loki awoke the next morning to the sun shining in his face and a soft snoring noise coming from above him.**

**He turned himself very gently to look up...and he saw Runa’s face hanging over him, lips parted slightly, completely asleep sitting up with his head in her lap.**

**It was the first fully conscious image he’d recognized since the attack. And he was appropriately dazed. He wasn’t even certain he was** **_actually_ ** **awake, that this wasn’t just another dream. He had to be sure.**

**“Runa,” he said, but his voice was dry and weak. It barely came out a whisper.**

**“Runa...!” Loki said again with significantly more urgency, praying to the Norns that his pleading would wake her.**

“Wha--?” Runa jolted awake.

She looked down and focused on Loki who was staring up at her, his expression much clearer than the day before.

“Loki!” She frantically ran her hands over his face, checking his cheeks and forehead before they moved to his chest. He still seemed warm but he wasn’t burning up like he had been.

“Oh, thank the Norns,” she sighed, and before she realized what she was doing, she cupped his face in her hands and pressed a soft kiss to his temple.

**Loki breathed a sigh of relief, but that sigh immediately froze in his chest when she kissed him. It was a gentle, chaste kiss, one born of relief and compassion, but it electrified him all the same, made him vibrate and tingle from the crown of his head to the tips of his toes. The sigh finished with a shudder.**

**"I...where are we? How long has it been? I must--"**

**He tried to sit up, but no sooner had he lifted his head than the pain shot through his chest like lightning. He grunted and scowled, then fell back into her lap, panting, eyes squeezed closed and brows knit together.**

**"Ooooh Norns, that's not good."**

“Careful!” Runa checked his bandages to see if his bleeding had begun anew. Luckily it hadn’t.

“We were attacked two nights ago. We’re very far downriver. You’ve been quite ill, Loki.” Runa stopped herself there, surprised to find her lip trembling slightly.

“I...I am not a healer, but I’ve done what I can. How do you feel?” Her hands fluttered over him, as though she would find the answer that way. One hand remained pressed to the side of his face, her thumb gently grazing his cheek.

**“I feel...like I’ve been run through by an angry Kronan...” Loki groaned, settling back and trying to find a comfortable position. “Tell me honestly, how bad is it?”**

**He nuzzled into her hand without even realizing it, the familiar sensation of her touch overpowering his usual standoffishness.**

Runa pursed her lips. “Well, the wounds are deep, right down into the muscles. But it’s the venom I’m worried about. It seems to be driving the fever and slowing your healing.”

She searched his face, noting the dark circles under his eyes and the pain he was trying to hide.

“Are you hungry? I’m not much of a hunter but I’m sure I could find some edible plants for us.”

She brushed some hair out of his face and then began fussing with his bandages, thinking she should apply fresh poultice.

**“Yes. Food would help...perhaps I won’t feel as weak after some sustenance.”**

**She gently removed his head from her lap and rested him on a pile of pine needles - the familiar forest scent coming from them gave him some comfort. He exhaled and adjusted to the new position.**

**“I could tell you how to make some simple traps for small game, if you think it would help. I assume we’ll be here for a while...”**

**The realization that his injury was delaying his quest to find the cure for Frigga felt like ice in his veins. He would do whatever he could to recover as quickly as possible so they might still be able to find the flower and save her.**

Runa looked at Loki, their eyes meeting as he trailed off. The unspoken thought seemed to hang heavy in the air between them: Frigga.

“Perhaps,” was all she said, her own mind now spinning with worrying thoughts.

She got fresh water from the river to clean Loki’s wound again, apply fresh poultice and bandages, and then used her small bar of soap to wash the old ones, knowing she’d have no choice but to reuse them.

“Here, chew this while I’m gone.” She handed Loki a fresh strip of willow bark and then walked off to look for food, anxiety tugging her gut with every step.

**Loki laid back and chewed on the bark, feeling useless as he watched Runa walk away. All his training, all his practice with magic, all of it was...gone. He could do nothing except lay here and try to speed his recovery.**

**Loki closed his eyes and focused...if he could just draw some seidr, he might be able to aid his healing...**

**But as soon as he felt the familiar buzz of magic, pain scorched through him. He barely suppressed a yell as that flaming agony burned him from the inside, and with a few deep breaths, he maintained his control.**

**So...his magic was out of the question…**

**He was helpless.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki learns that Runa is actually pretty good at this whole wilderness survival thing. Runa learns that Loki is actually kinda...sweet sometimes.

Nearly an hour later, Runa returned smiling broadly. Her bag was full of leafy greens, fat tender roots, and handfuls of nuts and seeds. She even managed to find some edible berries and mushrooms as well.

But her face fell when she saw Loki. He was sleeping fitfully, a light sheen of sweat covering his forehead, the tell-tale flush of fever bright on his cheeks. But the worst of it was his chest. Above the line of bandages she could see the skin, streaked with red.

“Norns, what did you do?” She dumped her bag next to him, running to the river for more water.

She sponged his face with a cool cloth, shaking him gently to wake him.

**He coughed weakly, and a thrill of joy went through him when he heard her voice. “I tried...healing myself. Didn’t work,” he growled through clenched teeth.**

**Norns, as weakened as he was, it still wounded his ego to be this dependent AND this grateful to have her back with him. A part of him feared she may have been attacked by one of those creatures again while she was away.**

**Speaking of those creatures...**

**“That thing that attacked us...was that a cockatrice?”**

“I think so. I’ve only seen drawings. I never imagined they would be so...” she closed her eyes and shuddered, unable to finish her sentence.

“But, I haven’t seen a sign of them here. Not a single track or marking.”

She fussed over him for a few minutes, applying fresh poultice and adjusting his bandages.

“Can we try sitting you up to eat? You can lean against the cliff here where I was before.”

**“If they’re not here...then we’re too far away from the flower...” he groaned as she helped lift him into a sitting position. NORNS the pain was almost unbearable! But he needed to be elevated, if only for a change of scenery and to be aware of his surroundings.**

**The fresh dressings felt good against his three-clawed wound, though the pain was still awful. And that gave him a thought.**

**“The cockatrices...are they magical by nature? It seems their venom is...it hurts when I try to draw seidr. Quite a bit, in fact. I wonder...if their presence might be the reason I felt so ill before we were separated from the group...”**

“I don’t know. It’s possible.”

She bit her lip thinking. “You know, Prince Thor wasn’t well. He looked ill. And he couldn’t draw on his magic either. He showed me. Right before we were attacked.”

**“I thought it might’ve been something to do with the moon itself, since I started to feel unwell right after landing here. But...well, this might sound strange, but I started to get the feeling I was being watched. And my health began to suffer soon after that. I also was having trouble using my magic...and I still am, obviously.”**

Runa considered what he said while she sorted out the food she’d collected. If Loki couldn’t use his magic, it would take him much longer to heal and be on his feet again. She thought of Frigga and her heart ached. “Do you still feel like that now?”

**Loki closed his eyes...that sense of being watched was objectively gone.**

**“No, I don’t. And that paired with the fact that you’ve seen no markings nearby...I believe we have a solid theory here.”**

**By the Norns was he glad to be able to think clearly again. Even with the pain and his incapacitation and his magic blocked, at least his mind was working well enough to be of some use.**

**Then his stomach growled, and he realized he hadn’t eaten in almost two days.**

**“Ah, Runa? Might I bother you for some of the food you found?”**

Runa pointed out what each item was, putting them all within easy reach for Loki so he might take what he pleased.

“I need to try to get your fever back down and, I think this goes without saying, but you probably shouldn’t try to use your magic, at least not until you’re much stronger.”

She sat staring over at the river, chewing on some of the seeds.

“And...”

She stopped, already feeling her cheeks going pink.

_ Don’t be a coward! _

“And...I just wondered, um, Loki, if you might need to relieve yourself. And if you’d like my help with that, since you aren’t yet up to walking.”

She kept staring at the water rushing by, unable to look him in the eye as she asked the question.

_ Don’t be ridiculous. It’s perfectly normal. Nothing to be embarrassed about. _

But try as she might to convince herself, she could feel the warmth from her cheeks spreading to the very tips of her ears.

**Loki could feel his face flush at her question. Since he’d hardly had anything to eat or drink, he didn’t feel the urge to answer nature’s call at the time.**

**But, truth be told, he appreciated her checking on it and offering to help.**

**“Ah, no. Not yet, thank you. But I will let you know if and when the need arises. I’m certain it will at some point...unless there is yet another malady I should be concerned about.”**

**He picked up one of the tender roots and began to chew on it - it was rather bland, with just a slightly woody and spicy flavor. If he’d had some sauce to dip it in, it actually wouldn’t be too bad.**

**Then he looked at her, so uncomfortable and averting her eyes, a soft blush dusting her cheeks...for a moment he was lost in the image of how lovely she was, of how he had seen her when he’d been in his fever dream...**

**_Trust her, Loki._ **

**Frigga’s voice came to his mind, and he swallowed hard, averting his own eyes now.**

**“You should eat as well, Runa. I daresay keeping** **_your_ ** **strength is even more important than mine, at this point.”**

She looked at him then, a small smile tugging at her lips.

“Thank you. And your clothes are dry now. You should put them on. You might not have been able to tell with your fever, but it got quite chilly last night.”

She took a long drink from her waterskin and then passed it to Loki.

“Also if you think you can manage on your own for a few hours, I thought I might take a walk up the cliff. I’m hoping I might get a view up river from higher elevation, maybe see Prince Thor’s campfire if...” she stopped herself, unable to voice the thought. “If they’ve lit one yet.”

**Loki looked at the sun through the trees as he took a drink of the water - it took quite a bit of effort to even do that with how damaged his chest was. But he was determined to manage, to do as much for himself as he could without risking further injury.**

**“It’s getting late in the day...and Thor won’t light a fire until it’s dark, unless they’ve stopped moving. And even if you did see them, there’s nothing we could do to get closer to them. I think it would be best if we built a large fire here - if they are...still alive...they may see the smoke and head for us...”**

**Then he saw that look on her face, tired, defeated, desperate. It broke his heart to witness it.**

**_Trust her, Loki..._ **

**“...but that’s just my opinion. You’re quite well suited to survival in the wild, despite my misgivings before we began this journey. I trust you to do what you think is best...”**

“Oh. Thank you.” She gave him a genuine smile, her heart fluttering at the unexpected praise. “But there can be no doubt about your expertise in that matter. I’ll wait. I just want to do something, you know?”

She looked around at their sad little campsite. “Well at the very least I can help you dress and change your bandages. I’ll go get more firewood after that.”

**“Alright then,” he said softly, somewhat dreading the idea of moving enough to put on clothing but eager to be covered by more than just a blanket.**

**It wasn’t as bad as before, as he was able to move his arms a bit more than he used to. And by the time he was dressed, just mentally he felt more put together and able.**

**She was about to head out to collect firewood, when suddenly Loki felt a pang of... something. It wasn’t a physical pain, but it certainly was jarring - more like...concern for her safety.**

**“Runa?” he said before she was out of sight. She turned and looked at him, confused but eager to be of assistance if he needed something.**

**“Just...be careful,” he said quietly, ashamed of how much he didn’t want to lose her company, even for just an hour or so.**

“Of course,” Runa said, inclining her head slightly.

She gathered as many thick branches as her arms could carry, filling her bag as well. She mulled over Loki’s sudden concern. It was surprising but...sweet. 

_ Loki could be sweet.  _ The thought made her smile.

She returned to find Loki dozing, still propped up against the cliff wall. Depositing her firewood, she refilled their water, made fresh poultice for his wound, and then gathered a large armful of the long, reedy grass growing in tufts along the river bank. She settled down next to Loki to begin weaving it just as a low rumble of thunder sounded in the distance.

**Loki was awakened by the sound of thunder...which, in his half-awake state, he assumed meant Thor had found them. Inhaling sharply, his eyes shot open, searching around him, expecting that his brother had come to save him, as he’d always done...despite their differences.**

**But he was still in the woods, alone except for Runa, who was next to him weaving some grasses together.**

**A moment later the pain of his quick breath set in, and he grunted, wincing. And he felt the cold, wet trickle of rainfall begin to splatter his face.**

Runa let her head tip back against the wall of the cliff and gave one long, very defeated sounding sigh before pulling herself up to gather all of their belongings from where they lay drying out in the open, as well as the firewood she had gathered. She had just tucked everything, including herself, into the little alcove beneath the fallen boulder when the sun dipped behind the horizon and it began to pour in earnest.

**Loki watched her work, feeling guilty that he couldn’t do more to help. She had even assisted him in moving further back in the alcove so he didn’t get soaked by the evening rain. Between the supplies and other items that they had to keep dry in the small space, there was barely room enough for the two of them. Thank the Norns, though, the alcove was just long enough for them to keep a fire going at the mouth of it and out of the way of the storm.**

**Loki truly hoped Thor and the others had found shelter as well...**

**Then he noticed Runa was practically hugging the wall opposite him, so their bodies wouldn’t touch. She looked incredibly uncomfortable in that position, and he was sure there would be no way for her to rest that evening if she stayed there.**

**“Runa...” he said gently. “You...you don’t have to keep yourself pressed against that cold stone all night...”**

**He knew that inviting her to come closer might be awkward...but given the circumstances...**

**“You’ll never be able to sleep like that. Just...come here.”**

**He lifted his arm, inviting her to settle next to him.**

"Oh." Runa's stomach did a nervous little flip at the sight of him holding his arms open to her like that. For a moment she just...blinked at him. Even wounded and bandaged, face pale, he just looked so...beautiful. His elegant features were thrown in sharp relief in the flickering light of the fire.

"Um, thank you," she said moving closer to him, heart pounding so loudly she thought he might hear. Should she face him? No, no, she couldn't bear the idea of that. She moved slowly, careful not to jostle him at all, until she was lying curled next to him, her back lightly touching his side.

"Are you comfortable?"

**“It’s ok, Runa,” Loki chuckled, seeing how she was still trying to avoid contact with him as much as possible. “I won’t make this into something it isn’t. We need warmth, and you need to be comfortable enough to sleep and regain your strength. If that means I serve as a pillow for a night, so be it.”**

**He brought his arm down around her, pulling her closer and into a more relaxed position against his side. She rolled over hesitantly, but eventually she faced him, resting against his torso. They were both careful to keep his injury out of the way, but with the bandages and the poultice she’d been religiously applying, the wound already seemed much better than it had been earlier that day.**

**“There, you see? I don’t bite,” he said, smiling.**

**_Not unless you ask,_ ** **his thoughts added, though he pushed those away faster than a lightning strike.**

Runa laughed softly at his attempt to lighten the mood. "Thank you."

They were silent for a moment, and Runa couldn't help shifting herself just a little closer. She felt the hard planes of muscle along her side, his steady heartbeat beneath her cheek, the gentle press of his arm behind her, keeping her close. Unexpectedly, she was full of longing. For what, she wasn't sure. But his closeness, his tenderness in that moment washed over her like a wave, and she was drowning beneath it.

She took a breath as though she would speak and found that her throat was too tight to say anything at all.

His other hand was resting on his stomach below the bandages and without another thought, she reached for it, softly curling her fingers with his.

**Loki was nearly asleep when he felt her little fingers wrapping around his, and he looked down to where she held his hand on his stomach. He hazarded a glance at her, realizing that she had likely fallen asleep and done it unconsciously - her breathing was even and calm, and the slightest hint of a smile graced her pink lips, slightly chapped by the elements.**

**She was...beautiful; so peaceful and lovely lying next to him. The sound of the rain falling and dimming glow of the cracking fire made this intimate tableau seem almost...magical.**

**And he didn’t know what to make of the warm, glowing sensation beginning to take hold in his stomach, right beneath their entwined fingers.**

**Whatever it was, it helped to lull him into a quiet, restful sleep for the remainder of the night.**

Runa only woke once in the night, groggily throwing a few more sticks and twigs onto the embers to revive their fire. The chill air creeping into their little sanctuary had her throwing caution to the wind, and she snuggled up to Loki without pretense, throwing her cloak over both of them and wrapping her arm around his waist.

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

In the morning, however, Runa was slightly mortified to wake up and realize that her face was pressed against Loki's neck, one leg thrown over his hips in a distinctly undignified embrace. And beneath her thigh she felt...

Runa froze. What should she do? Should she move? What if she woke him and he realized she'd been clinging to him like he was some giant teddy bear?

Before Runa could decide, she felt Loki stirring against her. She promptly shut her eyes and pretended to still be asleep.

**Loki dreamed he was at home, comfortably resting in his bed. He could even feel the texture of the fine linen and the give of the mattress underneath him. And best of all, he dreamed someone was in that bed with him, a consort wrapped around his body, embracing him tightly, her soft skin against his, her leg over his hips...**

**As he felt himself returning to reality, he looked forward to seeing this consort and relieving his morning wood inside her before breakfast...**

**And then he opened his eyes...and the pain in his chest returned.**

**Loki grunted, blinking the sleep away and realizing he had a kink in his neck from the position he was in against the rock. But the consort...**

**He noticed with a start that Runa was still sleeping, and her leg was resting fully upon his...**

**_Oh dear...this is embarrassing..._ **

**“Runa?” he whispered, trying to wake her gently so as not to frighten her. There was naught he could do about his...ahem, “condition”, but he could at least be gentlemanly about it...**

The sound of his voice, so soft and gentle, seemed to light a fire inside her.

She made up her mind.

Steeling herself, she stirred, tipping her head back just enough to look at him. But she did not pull away.

**Her eyes made his insides burn, staring up at him like the universe could be contained in their gaze. For a moment, he was rendered transfixed, simply watching how the morning light played in her irises.**

**Then, he remembered himself. Clearing his throat, he looked away. “How did you sleep? Well, I hope.”**

She bit her lip as Loki looked away, a wild sort of daring burning through her.

“I did sleep well.”

Carefully, she sat up, slowly sliding her leg off of him. She noticed how he seemed to freeze as he felt her body move over him.

She looked down at him, a small smile playing around the corner of her lips. “And you? How do you feel?”

And before the last of her courage failed her, she carefully brushed a loose strand of hair off of his forehead.

**Loki couldn’t help but close his eyes and lean into her touch as she stroked his hair from his face. Had her touch always affected him so?**

**The memory of his fever dream came back to him, when he could hardly tell reality from the mad musings of his own mind.**

**_Angel..._ **

**His eyes opened.**

**“I feel better, actually,” he said softly, trying not to let his voice tremble as he spoke. “The pain is much easier to handle now...I seem to be recovering well, thanks to your...attentions.”**

**His sentence faded off as their eyes met once again, and he found this time he could not look away...**

Runa let her hand linger as she looked at Loki, the green of his eyes bright in the morning light.

“I’m very glad to hear it.” She moved to check his bandages then, letting her hand trail from his temple down to his chest rather than lifting it.

But what she saw drove everything else from her mind. “Loki!” She cried, pointing. “Look!”

The gaping slices that exposed muscle yesterday had started to scab, and the tips of each had shrunk into healed pink scar tissue.

**Loki looked down at the bandages and smiled, even daring to touch the injuries. They didn’t sting like they had before.**

**“That poultice you’ve been applying seems to be doing the trick. And perhaps my magic is coming back to me...”**

**With that, he held his hand out, and in a glimmer of seidr, a delicate white flower materialized in his hand. His eyes grew wide with excitement - it hadn’t hurt!**

**With a wide smile, he pushed the flower into her hair, the stem resting behind her ear.**

**“Thank you, Runa. You’ve saved my life.”**

On cue, Runa blushed deeply, at both the gesture and the compliment.

“Of course. I would not see any harm come to you, my prince.”

Runa winced at the slip. “Um, I’ll go get us some fresh water. The leftover food is here, if you’re hungry.”

With that, Runa hurried from the alcove toward the river, running the tips of her fingers delicately over the little white flower in her hair.

**Loki laid back and sighed as she left, putting his hands over his face. What was he** **_doing_ ** **? Runa was simply a botanist and a caring person. And incredibly skilled in wilderness survival, that much was certain. But...now there was something more.**

**His body thrummed with latent energy as he thought of her...and at once he decided that nothing could ever come of it. This was just a reaction to his stressful situation, injured and lost in the woods on an alien moon. He would have to control these urges until they were back in Asgard with the Midnight Flower, where things could get back to normal…**

Runa returned with the water and a large sturdy stick in hand.

“Since you’ve improved so much, I thought you might like to try walking a bit. This might help. I can support you on the other side as well, if you need it.”

She looked up at the sky, shielding her eyes with her hand. “The sky looks clear. It’s a good time to try to move if you can. The lunar phase...” she trailed off, kicking some dry needles with the toe of her boot.

**“What about the lunar phase?” he asked. He eyed the walking stick, judging its strength. It looked to be sturdy enough to support him, if need be.**

Runa met his gaze. “We only have three more days, Loki.”

**Loki felt his mouth go dry.**

**_Three days?!_ **

**Suddenly his predicament came into much clearer focus: they were outside of cockatrice territory by who KNEW how many miles; the rest of the party may or may not be alive, and even if they were alive, they did not have a map or either of the people who knew anything about the Midnight Flower; he was still recovering from a nearly-fatal injury and had yet to try standing, much less trekking through the difficult terrain; his magic may or may not be working properly, and would likely begin to falter again as they got closer to the cockatrices; and the only person to aid him now was Runa, who, as adept as she was at survival...was still just a girl.**

**And they had three days to find the cure to Frigga’s illness and return with it, or she would die.**

**Loki looked at Runa with renewed determination. It was all up to them.**

**“Help me up.”**


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Runa and Loki are finally on the move. A sweet moment gets interrupted by howling in the night.

Runa insisted upon applying fresh poultice and redressing Loki’s bandages first while he ate. But once she was satisfied, she braced herself at his side, taking one of his arms and pulling it over her shoulder.

Images of the night before flashed through her mind: the way Loki had held his arms open for her to join him, pulling her close against his side, wrapping herself around him in the night.

Her stomach flipped at the proximity, an echo of what they had previously shared.

She heaved a sigh. “Ready?”

**Loki grunted as pain shot through him while he moved. But Runa was stronger than she looked, and Loki knew he had to work through it.**

**“Ready,” he said, fully focused on getting himself into a standing position.**

**He tensed his legs and pushed, immediately feeling some of the scabs on his chest break and bleed. Runa started to put him down, but he couldn’t give up due to that, not yet.**

**“No! Keep going...I’m almost...”**

**Suddenly, a sharp pain, worse than before, pulled from his chest and radiated down his legs. They gave out, and despite Runa’s attempts to keep him upright, he fell to the ground, panting and wincing from the agony.**

**After resting for just a few seconds, he took a few big breaths and dug deep.** **_We are out of time. Now GET UP._ **

**“Let’s try again,” he said to Runa, voice strained but steely determination fixed in his eyes.**

Runa’s heart was aching for Loki as she watched him struggle, both pain and determination clear on his face. She nearly insisted on stopping when spots of red started to seep through his bandages, but she could tell he  _ needed _ to keep going.

She knew why. The unspoken thought of Frigga again hung silently between them. It was as if saying it would admit defeat somehow, and neither of them were willing to do that.

“You can do it, Loki. Take a deep breath and push hard with your legs.” She handed him the walking stick for his other side and then gripped him more tightly, happy for the excuse to do so. She took a moment to appreciate the firmness of his muscled frame, injured as he was.

“I’ve got you.”

**She should have told him to stop. She should have made him wait and rest, and tended to his wound while he fumed at his situation and brooded angrily, blaming it unfairly on her. It was how he expected it to go.**

**But instead...she was still helping him to stand. She understood what it meant.**

**Suddenly there was more than just pain in his chest...**

**With the walking stick in his right hand and Runa under his left arm, Loki prepared himself to try once more.**

**“Alright. One. Two. THREE.”**

**They lifted together, and Loki used all his strength to push off the ground. He was unbalanced and unsteady, he wobbled and nearly tumbled half a dozen times...but Runa stayed with him. The pain was almost unbearable, and his chest began to bleed anew through his bandages, but he couldn’t stop now, couldn’t allow gravity to have its way with him, couldn’t give up on saving his mother.**

**Everything hurt and strained and pushed...he cried out in agony but he did not give up...**

**And he stood.**

**Panting, he leaned on the walking stick and Runa, focused solely on balancing himself and catching his breath, sweat beading on his forehead.**

She couldn’t help it, she beamed at Loki, delighted by their small victory, and placed a swift kiss on his cheek before helping him to lean against the cliff. Pulling out fresh bandages, she quickly replaced the ones he’d bled through in his efforts so his wound would have a better chance of holding up while they walked.

**That soft kiss made him laugh, relieved to be standing.**

**“Save the maidenly rewards for when I actually take some steps,” he jested, starting to feel somewhat himself again. It was then that he realized he hadn’t been acting like** **_himself_ ** **since they’d become acquainted...in fact, he’d been quite rude.**

**“Runa?” he said softly, and she looked up curiously from fussing with his bandages. He sighed as their eyes met, a pang of guilt ringing in his heart. “I...I want to apologize for how I’ve been treating you. I’m not normally so...abrasive, despite whatever rumors you may have heard. I should have been nicer…I’m sorry.”**

Runa gazed up at him, surprised by the earnestness with which he spoke. She could see the regret in his eyes, in the lines of his face.

She finished fixing his bandages. “Thank you, Loki. But I think I wouldn’t be myself either, if my mother was ill.”

She gave him a cheeky smile and continued, “And besides, I’ve heard plenty of adorable stories from the Queen to counteract any rumors I may have heard.”

**“Oh, Norns...” he groaned and rolled his eyes with a chuckle, grateful for her easy forgiveness. “Nevermind. I’ll take the cockatrice claws.”**

**Once she was done tending to his wound, he pushed off the stone wall and caught his balance with the walking stick. Runa stayed nearby as he took his first few shaky steps, but within several minutes he was walking on his own.**

**With a sigh of relief, he looked around at the little campsite they’d called home for the past few days.**

**“We should go. There is precious little time to waste, and we need to find that flower...”**

They left at once, following the winding path of the river. For hours they made slow progress. Loki could only make it about a mile at a time before getting pale and shaky, at which point Runa insisted he rest and drink water.

But little by little, they made their way. When the sun began to set, Loki decided they needed to stop and find a place to camp for the night.

While she looked for wood to build their fire, Runa tried to do the calculations in her head. How far had they made it? 10 miles? Maybe 12?

Her own panic started to set in. They had no idea how far they still needed to travel and time was running out.

“Norns help us,” she murmured to herself.  _ We’re coming, Frigga. Hold on. _

**“It really is healing remarkably fast,” Loki said as he noticed Runa returning to their camp, arms full of firewood. He leaned against the fallen trunk of a massive tree, inspecting his wound. “What did you use in that poultice? Normally I would need to use some kind of magic to yield these results.”**

**He touched the scarred edges of the claw marks delicately, then grinned almost sadly.**

**“This will leave quite a scar...finally, I’ll have something to show off and brag about at the warriors’ feasts.”**

“Finally? I would think you’d have no shortage of things to brag about, in any situation,” Runa said with a smile, starting to stack the firewood.

“And it’s a combination of things I brought with me and things I found here. I’ll write them all down for you when we get back home.”

**“Excellent. I would like to know which herbal concoction saved my life.”**

**He smiled at her easily, more easily than he had smiled in a long time, since even before Frigga fell ill. There was an incredible sense of companionship with Runa that had developed through proximity and necessity, but now that it was there...Loki hoped not to lose it.**

**“So, have you seen any more of the cockatrice markings? Judging by the sun, we seem to be traveling in the right direction.”**

At the mention of the cockatrices, Runa’s earlier anxiety came rushing back. Her face fell. “No. I haven’t.”

She started the fire and then set them up for the night, laying out their food and water next to Loki. She sat and looked at him, the smile fading on his own face as well as he took in her worried expression.

“Loki, what if we don’t make it in time? What if...what if we’re already t-too late?” she said, a sob choking her words.

They still had no idea how far they needed to travel, and the stress of it all, the worry for Frigga and Loki and the others, the utter exhaustion she felt, it was all too much. Her lip trembled as tears filled her eyes. She looked down at her hands, twisting in her lap as she began to weep in earnest.

**Loki wrapped his arm around her and squeezed her close, feeling just a slight tinge of pain as he did so but nothing that would stop him from trying to comfort her.**

**“It’s ok, Runa. I understand. It is truly a desperate situation...even I don’t know if we can do this, with the odds against us as they are...”**

**Then, with his other hand, he reached up and lifted her chin gently, looking into those wet, honey-colored eyes...and he smiled. It was a sad smile, but genuine and heartfelt.**

**“But I know Frigga’s spirit is strong, and we must stay strong as well. She would want us to keep hope and strive to the best of our ability...to know that when the quest is over, no matter the result—“**

**He had to stop, closing his eyes as tears began to flow and his throat tightened. For just a moment he was lost for words...but with a deep breath, he gathered himself. For Frigga’s sake. And for Runa.**

**“...that we had done our best and given everything we could to succeed.”**

“I’m sorry,” Runa sobbed, not entirely sure what she was apologizing for. She turned herself into Loki’s embrace, not caring if it was improper or unwanted. She buried her face in his neck while he gently ran his hand up and down her back.

When she finally calmed herself enough, she wiped her face on her sleeve and looked up at Loki.

“Do you think...I know it’s stupid in light of everything else but, do you think Hazel is okay?” Her lip started trembling again as she thought of her poor horse, tied to a tree when the attack began.

**Loki chuckled a bit, even through the tears. “I don’t think a** **_bilgesnipe_ ** **could take out that horse - it’s too small and quick. And too smart. Much like its master.”**

**While their situation was dire, the closeness he felt with Runa was quite unlike anything he’d felt before. It was...easy. There was no pretense, no games. And how could there be, given their circumstances? But Loki found...he quite liked it.**

**He picked up two of the tender roots from the pile and handed one to her.**

**“Eat. We both need to make the most of the time we rest...with any luck, we’ll find ourselves in cockatrice territory on the morrow.”**

Tucked into his side, Runa couldn’t help but feel comforted by Loki. Both his embrace and his reassurance were a balm to her weary body and mind.

They ate, and Runa went through the routine of collecting fresh water and more firewood. She refreshed Loki’s poultice and bandages before taking some time to herself at the river to try and wash up a bit.

Splashing water over her face, she marveled at the change in Loki’s behavior. His earlier irritation and hostility were gone. Despite his own stress over the situation and his injury on top of it, he was...tender. Sweet. Playful, even.

She thought of the way he had held her through the night and through dinner, her whole body buzzing with the proximity. She had wanted to kiss away his tears when he spoke of Frigga and her lips seemed to burn at the very idea of touching his skin.

For just a moment, she closed her eyes, allowing herself to imagine it. What if she had done it? What if she had leaned in and pressed her lips to his cheek? To his mouth? She wondered what Loki would have done...

Her heart swelled with...what? Longing? Affection? Desire? It was a lethal mixture of it all, she realized.

_ You’re in too deep, _ she scolded herself, walking back to the campsite.

Loki was laying under one of the blankets, his back against the giant trunk. Picking up the second blanket, Runa paused. Should she lay next to him again? Would he want her to, now that there was enough room that it wasn’t entirely necessary? But Norns how she wanted to curl up in his arms again...

She stood there, fussing with the blanket while she tried to decide what she should do.

**Loki watched her, saw the discomfort, the hesitation. He could understand.**

**This was certainly unprecedented - a prince and a maiden lost in the woods. One might expect something untoward to occur...**

**But he found...he didn’t care what others might expect. Not out here, alone, with her.**

**“Would you...like to lie next to me, Runa? The warmth will help us sleep.”**

Runa pressed her lips together to keep from smiling. “As long as you don’t mind, yes I would like that. Thank you.”

And because he extended the invitation, she went to him without hesitation, throwing the blanket over them both. She curled up at his side, pressing herself along the length of his body eagerly, her head on his shoulder, her hand laid delicately on his chest.

“Are you comfortable?” She looked up at him under her lashes. He still had quite a ways to go in his recovery, but some color had returned to him. She noticed that his lips looked very pink in the firelight. She couldn’t look away...

**Loki looked down into her eyes, at her soft cheeks already reddening with the chill of the night, at her lips that parted ever so slightly, so invitingly...**

**He felt an urge stir in his stomach, much like the one he’d felt the other night. Something warm and wonderful and...irresistible. She** **_wanted_ ** **him to kiss her. It was so obvious, it would be** **_so_ ** **easy, so nice to just indulge in the softness she offered.**

**He leaned down, his own eyes closing slowly, his own lips drawing together to take hers…**

**When he heard a noise in the distance.**

**It sounded like a long, sad howl, coming from the depths of the forest in the direction they had been heading. Soon, several other howls joined the first - they were not wolves, but more whistling and throaty and eerie. Unlike anything he’d heard before.**

**Loki stopped and looked up and around into the dark trees...how close were they? And were they getting closer?**

**“Runa...are those the cockatrices?” Loki asked, just a hint of anxiety breaking the spell he’d been under just moments before.**

Runa went very still. The pleasure and excitement she had felt a moment before evaporating as fear took its place.

“I don’t know,”she breathed, hardly daring to make a sound.

They were silent for a few moments when they heard it again.

“Does it  _ feel  _ like cockatrices to you? Can you use your magic?” She was starting to tremble with anxiety at the thought. Her hand crept under the blanket to grip the tiny dagger sheathed at her belt. Pathetic as it was in the face of massive talons and razor sharp beaks, it was all she had.

**“No...no, I don’t feel the same weakness as before...and they seem to be coming from a distance. I think we’re safe for tonight. If they weren’t such dangerous, ruthless creatures...their song might even be beautiful...”**

**He pulled her closer, allowing her to settle on him and rest against his chest. The wound was surprisingly well-healed - even as she put her hand and arm near it, he felt no pain.**

**He felt his eyes growing heavy and his thoughts begin to drift...it had been an exhausting day, and now, lying here with Runa, he began to relax, to sleep, to dream...**

Despite the comfort of Loki’s embrace, Runa did not sleep well. Every rustle of leaves, every snapping twig had her jolting awake.

When she did dream, she had nightmares of the cockatrices dragging Loki away, blood seeping through his bandages while she could do nothing to save him.

When dawn finally arrived, the first thing she did was inspect his wound, so real had her dreams seemed. However, she was relieved to see that the healed pink areas were growing, and the violent red gashes were shrinking. The scabs seemed thicker and sturdier too.

_ I need to find a way to make him a salve, _ she thought, knowing it would start to itch soon as the healing progressed.

The supply of food she’d gathered was too low for both of them to have breakfast, so she decided to look for some possible ingredients while finding something to eat.

She laid her second blanket on top of Loki, who was still sleeping, and set off into the trees.

**When Loki awoke, Runa was gone. Her blanket was laid on top of him, though, in what seemed an intentional and unhurried way. And there was no sign of a struggle.**

**_She’s likely gathering supplies for breakfast. She’ll be back soon._ **

**It amazed him how quickly his panic subsided and how sure he felt about her wellbeing. With a deep breath, he relaxed into the old tree and took in his surroundings. It was quite beautiful, actually, when one wasn’t actively struggling to remain alive.**

Runa returned feeling satisfied with her findings. She saw that Loki was awake, laying back against the tree trunk, looking thoughtfully at the river rushing by. The expression on his face was...well, it was one she hadn’t seen on him before. Something about it made her heart squeeze.

“Good morning,” she said, kneeling next to him and unloading her bag. “How do you feel?”

**Loki turned to her and smiled brightly, his eyes crinkling at the corners.**

**“Better now, thank you. Did you find anything for breakfast? I actually have a bit of an appetite...which I believe is a good sign.”**

Loki's eager smile made Runa's stomach do a funny little flip. How rare it was to see him smile like that. How beautiful.

"Um...yes. Yes, that's a good sign," she said, once her brain started working again. "And you're in luck. I found some fruit. I don't know exactly what it is, but it's sweet, and it should transport well. I filled my bag, see?"

Loki peered approvingly inside the bag, taking one of the lumpy yellow orbs to inspect for himself.

She handed him her small knife to peel the thick skin. "Loki I think we should talk about what the plan is. If those were cockatrices we heard last night, and we are heading in the right direction, well, I'm assuming we'll know if you start feeling ill again. And, I've been thinking...at that point I think I should go on alone. You should stay, maybe try to use your magic to contact Thor."

**Loki slowly looked up from peeling the fruit, his brows knitting together in obvious concern. It was far too late before he realized that he wasn’t guarding his expression, and by the time he did...well, there was nothing he could do to take it back. He had grown far too relaxed around her...another effect of being in the woods, alone with the woman who’d saved his life.**

**With a sigh, he lowered his gaze again, focusing again on the food. “I understand why you would think that...but let’s play it by ear, now that we know what we’re up against. We can always make that decision later.”**

Runa felt irritation flare to life inside her. After everything she had done, he still doubted her?

"There might not be a lot of time for discussing strategy later. What did you intend to do when you couldn't use your magic again? What if proximity makes the venom in your wound reactivate or something?"

**“And what if it doesn’t?” He nearly snapped at her, looking up from his work. “Or what if you get attacked and I don’t jump in the way? I’m saying there are a lot of ‘what ifs’ right now, and making a plan to separate might not be the best judgement.”**

**His earlier calm had morphed surprisingly quickly into ire...but really? After everything he had done, everything he had overcome to save Frigga’s life, she wanted him to sit there and** **_wait for Thor_ ** **?**

**He finished peeling the first piece of fruit and cut out a slice, pushing it into his mouth and chewing. It was tart, but not unpleasantly so. He cut off another slice and handed it to her.**

**“I’m not staying behind, Runa. We are finding that flower and we are returning it to Asgard.”**

Runa pressed her lips together. He  _ had  _ jumped in front of her and saved her, after all. They had saved each other. And yet...

"But that's my point. I can't let anything happen to you, Loki. Not again. Even if I still got the flower and brought it to Frigga myself, I would never be able to look her in the eye if you...if you didn't..."

She took the piece of fruit from him, but she didn't eat it. She held it loosely in her lap, unable to finish her thought.

**“Any fate that befalls me will be my own doing, Runa,” Loki scoffed, practically offended by her softness.** **_She_ ** **couldn’t let anything happen to** **_him_ ** **? Norns, he already** **_owed_ ** **her a life debt. And the thought of something happening to her while he sat idle—**

**No. Absolutely not.**

**“WE will figure this out. Together. I won’t allow you to trek off on your own into a den of dangerous creatures by yourself.”**

Runa was not at all convinced or swayed by his directive, but she nodded anyway.

"Very well. I need to change your bandages, and then we should continue on. Take off your shirt," she said, the last sounding much more clipped and commanding than she normally spoke to him, but she found she didn't much care at the moment.

**Begrudgingly, he did as she asked without a word. She was right, of course, that his bandages needed to be changed, but the latent frustration of their disagreement was palpable between them now.**

**In just a few minutes, they had the camp packed and they were heading back toward cockatrice territory, finding their way through the more and more difficult terrain in silence.**

The day passed quickly, and Runa was happy with how far they had traveled. Loki's strength and stamina had improved enough that they were making much more progress than the day before.

But the tension between them left a heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She understood his determination to do things together, but she couldn't shake the feeling something bad was going to happen to him.

They'd finally stopped for the night after a tense but polite discussion about where to camp. Runa left Loki to wash in private while she gathered firewood. She was deep enough in the forest that she could no longer hear the gentle rush of the river by their camp when she saw it. Gouged deeply into the trunks of an old tree, the triple X mark of the cockatrice. And it was fresh too, the exposed wood white, little curls of shredded bark littering the roots.

Runa didn't hesitate. Clutching her branches and sticks tightly under one arm, she ran back to their camp. 

Back to Loki.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Runa have another close encounter with the cockatrices...and this time, things go *much* differently.

**When Loki looked up from the maps to see Runa returning with the firewood, he could immediately tell that something was wrong - she looked pale, and her expression was stiff...well, stiffer than normal.**

**“What is it?” He asked, instantly on high alert.**

“I saw it,” she blurted. “Their marking. It was fresh.”

She dropped the firewood and went up to him laying a hand over his bandaged chest.

“Do you feel it? Are you alright?”

**Loki closed his eyes, trying to determine if he felt any kind of sickness like he had when they’d arrived on the moon. Fortunately, he felt fine.**

**“Yes, I seem to be well still. I would assume this means they don’t know we’ve entered their territory yet. I’ll let you know if anything starts to feel off...but it also means we’re close.”**

**He watched her face as she worried over his chest, and he softened slightly. Gently, he lifted her chin so she was looking into his eyes.**

**“I’m** **_fine_ ** **, Runa,” he said, smiling to try and comfort her. Despite their earlier disagreement, he had no desire to stress her more than necessary.**

“Should we still make camp? I don’t know how I’m going to be able to sleep tonight. Maybe we should take turns keeping watch.”

Despite his assurance that he was fine, Runa reached up to touch his forehead and cheek, wanting to be sure there wasn’t even the slightest hint of fever.

**Loki took her hand gently and held it for a moment...the feel of it took him back to that night in the alcove. He felt his heart flutter...and he swallowed hard, hoping she didn’t see how he was reacting to her.**

**“We need rest, as much as we can get,” he said, running his thumb along the back of her hand. “There is only one more day before the lunar cycle is ended, and it will be too late. We’ll need our strength to find that flower tomorrow. It will do no good to stare out worrying into the night.”**

Runa nodded, reluctantly taking her hand back so she could start the fire.

She gathered fresh water and saw to Loki’s bandages while they ate, thanking the Norns that he didn’t look any worse.

That night, when Loki had settled himself under his blankets, she didn’t hesitate. She went right to him, curling herself into his side, her hands pressed lightly against his chest, her head tucked under his chin.

She shivered, whether from cold or fear she wasn’t sure. But Loki pulled her closer and her heart swelled, temporarily pushing her anxiety to the back of her mind.

**Loki squeezed her warm body close to him, reveling the feel of her hands against his healing chest. Truth be told...he was terrified. But he couldn’t show her that; he couldn’t give up hope with her fighting so hard for Frigga. And perhaps...fighting for him as well. The idea of it gave him butterflies.**

**As he drifted off, he heard the cockatrice howls in the distance again - closer, but not nearby. That, at least, was a comfort. Runa stiffened at the sound, and he rubbed her shoulder instinctively and empathetically to calm her. It still surprised him how quickly he had become comfortable with this level of intimacy, but at this point...he didn’t care. They had one more day to find the flower. They could both use the comfort.**

**Loki fell asleep to the song of the creatures which had nearly killed him, singing to the starry sky.**

By some miracle, Runa fell asleep fairly quickly, waking only once to rekindle their fire and add more wood. She practically dove back under the blankets and into Loki’s arms. He hardly moved, only shifting closer to rest his cheek on her head as he slept.

But hours later, Runa dreamt of cockatrices again, their song drowning out her screams as they tore Loki from her arms. She tried to reach him, but huge, leathery wings and sharp, snapping beaks blocked her way. She fought them, pushing and beating against their brute strength with everything she had until her strength failed her. Runa fell to the ground defeated, exhausted, and sweaty as fog obscured everything. She let it wash over her, welcoming the cool relief it would bring to her overheated body. She was too warm. Much too warm....

Runa woke up with sweat coating her neck and back, her cheek sticking on Loki’s chest. Pushing away from him, she saw that his face was flushed pink, his brows furrowed as he shifted restlessly in his sleep. She touched his forehead, his cheek, the inside of his wrist; he was burning up.

_ No, no, no! _

She pulled at his bandages to look at his wound. The cuts were still sealed, but around the deep gashes his skin was inflamed, red streaks radiating out from the still healing flesh.

“Loki, Loki!” she cried, shaking him awake.

**Loki knew something was wrong the instant he was dragged back into consciousness by Runa’s shaking. He’d had a dreamless sleep, but he felt too hot and too cold at the same time, and his chest was on fire. As soon as he opened his eyes, he gasped for breath, sweat beading on his brow and his mouth dry.**

**“Fuck...” he muttered, though swearing wasn’t his normal way; however, his circumstances seemed to merit the reaction.**

**He could** **_feel_ ** **their presence - what was once just a sneaking suspicion of being watched was now a full-blown sensation of awareness. He coughed, and his chest began to bleed once again.**

**“They’re here, Runa...” he managed to say in a strained whisper before he saw the shadows approaching slowly from the trees, their huge bodies pushing aside the bushes and branches as they came closer...**

Runa fumbled under her cloak, unsheathing the small knife from her belt. She would have laughed if the situation wasn’t so dire; it wasn’t even as long as one of their talons.

The cockatrices moved slowly toward them, predatory gazes fixed on her and Loki. She looked around desperately but there was no escape. They were surrounded in every direction.

One of the beasts started screeching and squawking, its long head seeming to gesture as it moved. Some of the others hissed in response, stamping their feet and gouging deep treks into the earth.

Runa attempted to press Loki behind her, shielding him as best she could. She raised her little knife with a shaking hand. “Why aren’t they attacking us?” she breathed. “What do we do?”

**“I don’t know...” Loki wheezed, nearly losing consciousness. He groaned as the pain intensified, worse than before, and his body went rigid beneath Runa.**

**The cockatrices stared at her, their beady eyes focused on the tiny dagger in her hand, and they didn’t move. Other than the rustling of the leaves in the gentle breeze and Loki’s labored breathing, it was silent.**

**They seemed to be watching, waiting...analyzing...**

Runa didn’t know what to do. Loki was panting in pain and couldn’t use his magic. Her own skills seemed utterly useless now. They wouldn’t get that flower.

_ Frigga... _

Her heart cracked at the thought of the Allmother, back on Asgard waiting for them, her only hope.

A single tear slid down Runa’s cheek as she thought of Frigga, how pale she had looked the last time she’d seen her.

—

She had been called by the Royal Healers to bring ingredients for Frigga’s recovery; herbs, roots, and flowers of various sorts for them to make draughts and potions, teas and broths. Anything to aid the sick queen.

She’d knelt by Frigga’s bed, asking if there was anything she might do, anything she might bring her. And Frigga told her of the quest for the Midnight Flower and asked her to go.

“Of course, your Majesty. It would be my honor to accompany your sons.”

Frigga clasped Runa’s hand with one of her own, a hand that was much too cold.

“It is no easy task I give you. You may face great danger, I fear.”

Runa swallowed, determined not to cry at the weak sound of Frigga’s voice, her labored breathing.

“I’ve read about this flower. I know about the cockatrices.” She leaned in and gripped the Allmother’s hand as tightly as she dared. “I won’t let you down, Frigga.”

Frigga smiled, a bit of her usual twinkle coming back to her eyes. “I have no doubt. I’m well aware of who I’m sending on this mission. But here, take this.”

From under her blankets she pulled a tiny scroll of parchment. It glowed with a flare of her seidr before she handed it to Runa. “If you run into serious trouble, if you’ve nowhere to turn, read this.”

“What is it?”

Frigga’s eyes grew heavy, the small use of her magic exhausting her completely.

“A way to make friends.”

—

Runa dropped her knife, searching the inside of her cloak for the scroll, all but forgotten in the chaos and desperation of surviving.

Loki tried to sit up to see what she was doing as she unrolled the paper. There was some kind of spell on it.

What had Frigga been thinking? Runa was no sorceress. And yet the Queen had given the scroll to her, not to Loki. And so Runa, hands shaking, spoke the words written before her.

**As she spoke, golden seidr began to shimmer and sparkle from the scroll. The cockatrices took a step back, but they remained near, watching curiously as the spell took effect. The magical energy swirled off the page and drifted over Runa’s head, surrounding her and brightening almost to a daylight hue before dispersing and fading away.**

**The cockatrices seemed to shy away to block their eyes, but once the light faded, the largest of them stepped forward, eying Runa suspiciously.**

**“What spell was that?” it asked, almost accusatory.**

**But it hadn’t actually spoken - the series of clicks and whistles that comprised their language was all that could be heard…**

And yet, Runa understood the question. She nearly dropped the scroll in her shock. She stared at the creature in utter disbelief.

Eyes still fixed on the large cockatrice, who was looking at her with an intense curiosity, she whispered to Loki, “Did you...did you hear that?”

**Loki was barely conscious, the pain close to completely knocking him out. He could only groan in response, not even truly aware of what she’d asked.**

**But the cockatrice simply glared at her even more closely, its head cocking to the side.**

**“A translation spell, yes? Though you seem surprised by the result...curious. You’re not a sorceress, are you? In fact, I sense no magic in you at all...”**

**It came closer, obviously unafraid of her little knife, and turned its gaze to Loki.**

**“But him...he has powerful magic. He is dangerous. Why are you protecting him?”**

Oh Norns, it was really happening. This thing was really talking to her. She looked back at the scroll. It must be right, the spell must have given her the ability to understand these creatures. But, why...?

_ "To help you make friends..." _

Runa glanced down at Loki, his eyes shut tight against the pain.

"P-please, whatever you're doing to him, stop it. He's not dangerous. We won't hurt you."

Loki moaned and arched his back as pain shot through him. Runa really did drop the scroll that time as she lunged for him, taking his face in her hands.

"It's okay, Loki, it's going to be okay. Just breathe." She turned back to the cockatrice closest to her, fumbling in the dirt for her waterskin. "What do you want from us? Whatever it is, I'll do it. Just please stop hurting him." She tore a strip of cloth right from her cloak, dousing it in water to hold to Loki's burning skin. If this was it, she wasn't just going to sit by and let it happen. She would do everything she could for Loki, for Frigga.

**“What do** **_you_ ** **want from** **_us_ ** **?” The cockatrice hissed, and the others chirped and nodded in response. “Why are you here? We do not allow your kind free passage in our territory,** **_especially_ ** **magic-users. You have journeyed far to reach this place, as many have done before you - and we will not be victims to the violence of these two-legged sorcerers ever again.”**

**Again, the gathered cockatrices made noises of agreement, some even stomping their claws into the ground.**

Runa desperately wished Loki was conscious enough to offer some insight into this situation.

_ Oh gods, what should I do? _

She thought about what the cockatrice had said... " two-legged sorcerers...ever again." It must be referring to the Alfans. But how would she explain that isn’t who they were? That they weren’t at all here for the cockatrices?

She swallowed, bracing herself. "We aren’t here to hurt you. We are here looking for a flower with great healing power. His mother," she gestured to Loki, grasping one of his hands, "is ill. She's dying."

A small sob escaped her at that, and she looked back at the creature towering over her with tears in her eyes. "We have done nothing to you, with either magic or weapons. Please."

**“You seek the Midnight Flower...” the cockatrice said solemnly, taking a few steps back. “His mother must be in dire condition to require such a thing - but we no longer allow your kind access to it. We were foolish in the past, to think that our altruism and openness would be met with the same in return. We shan’t make that mistake again.”**

**He turned his massive body around, beginning to walk away from them. “I apologize for your loss. Of both of them. But it is too risky for our kind to give it to you.”**

Runa’s mind was reeling. Not only did they know of it, but they  _ had  _ the flower? Guarded it? She had sorely underestimated the intelligence of these creatures.

“Wait!” She stood up, but didn’t dare step too far away from Loki.

“Please, we aren’t who you think we are. We aren’t from Alfheim. Our people have never been here before that I know of.”

She took one step toward the creature, hands trembling at her sides. “My name is Runa, and this is Loki. We are from Asgard. Will you please help us?”

**A murmur rose from the cockatrices when Runa said they were from Asgard...the cockatrice that had been the spokesperson for the group turned back toward her. If an expression could be read, it was one of surprise and interest.**

**“Asgard? You come from the realm of Frigga, the Allmother?”**

“Yes! We are here on her behalf. This is her son.”

She knelt beside Loki again, brushing the hair back from his damp face.

“They’ll both die if I don’t get that flower and return us to Asgard. What do you know of the Allmother?” Runa sent up a silent prayer that whatever they knew was enough to make them sympathetic toward their plight.

**Without answering, the lead cockatrice looked to his companions, then turned back to Runa.**

**“Runa, you may call me Albaron. I am the elder of our tribe. You and Frigga’s son need to come with us, quickly. Climb up onto my back...we must hurry back to the village.”**

**Two of the other cockatrices approached Loki and gently lifted his limp body from the ground - he had lost consciousness, and he hung loosely as one used those terrifying claws with surprising gentleness and dexterity to position him on the back of the other.**

**As Runa approached cautiously, Albaron lowered his head and shoulders in a bowing motion to let her on, but before she boarded him, he looked up and met her eyes.**

**“Allmother Frigga is the savior of our species. Without her...we would have suffered extinction.”**

Runa was in a state of shock as they raced through the forest. Her thoughts were all jumbled as she clung to Albaron, mind racing between worry for Loki and disbelief over the news about Frigga.

The cockatrices slowed at last, taking care to keep their charges balanced as they scaled the steep cliffs higher up the mountain.

They entered what must be the village, and Runa looked around in awe at the collection of large, intricately woven nests, each built like a cresting wave, a broad covering hanging over the base. The space was open and unobstructed by trees, letting the bright light from the rising sun shine fully down on them.

Many nests were empty, but most were full of groups of cockatrices of every size. Little hatchlings ran about from nest to nest in flocks.

She looked around Albaron and saw that they were headed for a structure much larger than she had seen, bigger than a house, but just as intricately woven as the nests around them.

**Albaron and the cockatrice carrying Loki entered the structure, and in the center, protected by a woven fence and being tended by two smaller cockatrices, was a garden of closed flowers. Their bright green stems rose several inches above the fertile ground in neat rows.**

**“These are the Midnight Flowers,” Albaron said as he let Runa off his shoulders. “They will bloom once darkness falls, but until then, we must attend to the prince.”**

**Nearly all the cockatrices watched the newcomers suspiciously, several of them gathering the younglings and shuffling them off into the nests, out of sight.**

**“They are right to be nervous,” Albaron said quietly as he saw Runa watching them, concerned. “The last time they saw your kind...we were nearly wiped out.”**

Runa didn’t know what to say. Some horror was rising in her at what these sentient creatures must have experienced. “I’m sorry,” was all she could manage.

Her gaze settled on the fenced-in area Albaron had indicated. Though the flowers were not in bloom, she could see the tightly wound petals like little spiraling teardrops atop each stem.

She started to walk toward them for a closer look when she heard Loki make a soft noise, wincing as his eyes fluttered open. She went to him at once, taking his head in her hands. “Loki,” she breathed, pressing a soft kiss to his brow. “Are you alright?”

**Albaron approached Loki, then signaled the smaller cockatrices who had been tending the flowers. One of them rushed off to a back room and closed the thatch door.**

**“He will need the fresh extract of the Midnight Flower to recover. We harvested last night, and the essence should still be potent enough to heal him. Once the flower is picked and made into a tonic, it rapidly loses its healing properties. It’s powers work best when eaten directly from the stem...but we haven’t time to wait. Between the venom in his veins and the curse I cast upon him when we found you, he will die within hours without some kind of treatment. He can have a fresh flower once the sun sets, to further aid his recovery.”**

**Albaron then looked at Runa, obviously worried. “Please, tell me, what has befallen Allmother Frigga? Perhaps I can give you some more information that may help her.”**

Runa tried to steady herself as she took in Albaron’s grave words.

_ Die? Loki? _

She looked down at his handsome face, unable to bear the thought of it.

“Frigga...um, we don’t know what’s wrong with her,” Runa said distractedly.

Albaron stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

“Well, it started one day when she began feeling very dizzy. She just thought she was tired. But soon she was too weak to walk. She’s deathly pale and cold, even when she’s feverish. I’ve never seen anything like that.” Runa shuddered at the memory.

“All of our best healers can’t figure it out. She’s lost her appetite completely so it’s very difficult to keep her strength up. It’s like....it’s like the life is just fading right out of her.”

**“Much...like him, perhaps?” Albaron nodded to Loki, who let out a groan. The cockatrice who had gone into the back room returned with a vial in their beak, and handed it to Runa. The dark purple liquid inside swirled with sparkling specks.**

**“Help him swallow the tonic. I’m afraid our claws are not adept at handling such...delicate tasks.”**

Runa carefully propped Loki’s head into her lap, gently tipping the liquid into his mouth in small sips he could easily swallow.

“Yes, it is similar. Loki did seem to be slowly drained of power. Except for the fever. He was burning up. Frigga was just...so cold.

She was silent for a few moments then, tenderly brushing Loki’s hair back, sending silent prayers to anyone in the Nines who might be listening to save her prince and her queen.

**Albaron watched her keenly, letting out a loud huff of air before turning his attention to one of the other cockatrices. He allowed her several minutes to simply sit there with her companion’s head gently resting in her lap, stroking his hair back...he had only ever seen such compassion from one other being like them. And now her son was receiving that same compassion that his mother had shown all those years ago.**

**_Curious..._ **


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Runa learn more about the cockatrices, and their plans begin to come together. Plus, some happy reunions ;-)

**After some time, Loki began to stir. His eyes opened and he blinked several times before his gaze landed upon Runa, and he could see the delight in her eyes.**

**“Runa...? Where...where are we?”**

Runa smiled down at Loki. “We’re...well actually it’s a bit complicated. But the cockatrices took us to their, um, home. And they gave me extract from the Midnight Flower to help heal you.”

She took one of his hands in hers, clasping it gratefully as she brought it to her lips. “They know Frigga, Loki. They say she saved their species.”

**Loki looked around bewildered, taking in his unfamiliar - and frankly, initially anxiety-inducing - surroundings. He’d never seen anything like it before - the intricately woven nests and buildings, the cockatrices going about their duties...the garden of closed flowers...**

**“Runa...are those...the Midnight Flowers?” Loki asked incredulously.**

**The largest of the cockatrices approached him, clicking and chirping, and he pressed himself into Runa, trying to keep distance.**

**“What’s he doing? What does he want?”**

**Albaron made a noise that sounded like a chuckle to Runa, but probably sounded like a threat to Loki.**

"It's okay. He's not going to hurt us," Runa said. She helped Loki push himself up into a seated position, letting him lean into her for support.

"Yes, that's the flower." Smiling, Runa gave Loki a gentle squeeze, still struggling to believe the turn of events. They were going to be able to save Frigga. Loki was going to be okay. Her heart was soaring.

"This is Albaron. Your mother gave me a spell so I could understand them." She reached into her cloak, pulling out the scroll of parchment and handing it to Loki. "Read this."

**Loki took the scroll from her, feeling a pang in his heart as he looked at his mother’s familiar handwriting, slightly marred by her illness - the usually graceful loops shook and wavered, and the lines weren’t as straight as her perfect penmanship would normally ensure.**

**Swallowing the lump in his throat, he read the words, unsurprised by the shimmering seidr that surrounded him once he’d finished the translation incantation.**

**Even as he laid there, he felt his strength returning, the pain in his chest reduced to not more than a dull ache.**

**But he turned an accusing eye to Albaron. “Why did you attack us? And what did you do to me to inhibit my magic?”**

**Albaron leveled a steady gaze at Loki, already on edge. “It was the Rusilium Curse. Though it works slowly, it will eventually drain all the magic from any magic-user, no matter how strong. In fact, the more magic the victim wields, the more devastating the spell is, and the longer it takes for the full effect to manifest. It is our most effective defense against the magic-users like you.”**

Runa felt Loki tense beside her at the accusatory declaration. But before Loki could say anything that might escalate tension, she cut in.

"Loki. It seems that the Alfans terrorized them, hunting them not on occasion, but to the point of extinction. They only spared us now because of your mother..."

Runa turned to Albaron, brows furrowed. "Actually, you never explained how you came to know the Allmother. You said she saved you...how?"

**Albaron sighed and lowered himself down next to them, folding his legs beneath him rather like a cat. His tail whipped several times before resting it comfortably at his side.**

**“Long ago, when the Alfans discovered how to leave their world and explore the nearby moons and planets, we discovered them setting up a colony near the marshes. We...did not know then that there was life outside of what we saw here, or even that our world was a moon of their world, so the first contact was rather jarring. However...the other elders and I managed to convince the cockatrices that we should be peaceful, welcome them and see if we could learn from them.”**

**Albaron huffed as the memory obviously pained him, and he scratched the dirt with his claw.**

**“It was a terrible mistake. They were much more advanced than us, in both technology and magic, and we could not communicate - they thought of us as game, to be hunted and butchered and made into clothing and sundries for the people of Alfheim. More and more came and wiped out entire families, then entire villages, while we did everything we could to run and hide from them. Our fate was inevitable...until Frigga arrived.**

**“She recognized our intelligence, even without words. And she crafted the translation spell you used so she could speak with us. And once she learned the truth, she tried to tell the Alfans, to get them to stop...but by then it was too late. There was demand for the luxurious items they made from our bodies, and they were greedy for our hides. We had to move all the remaining cockatrices up here, on the mountain, to avoid the Alfan hunters. She used her magic to hide us, and to make the Alfans believe that we had been hunted to effective extinction, so they abandoned their colonies and left.**

**“She taught a few of us who had magical ability the Rusilium Curse, should any Alfans return and try to find our village.“**

Something in Runa’s chest tightened at the thought of a young Frigga, so gentle and wise even then, to have seen so much where others had been blind. To comprehend that there was often more to understand than what initially meets the eye.

Her eyes drifted to Loki, who was looking at Albaron, but his expression was guarded.

“What exactly is the Rusilium Curse?”

**Loki stared daggers at Albaron, hardly able to speak.**

**“It’s the curse that is killing my mother...” he said gravely.**

**Though physically he felt almost completely well, the revelation that Frigga had been suffering from this** **_for months_ ** **where he hadn’t even been able to last a few days astonished him. How was she still alive?**

**“Who else knows this curse? Who would want to put it on her? She has no enemies that I am aware of, certainly none that would have gone to these lengths to murder her...unless...”**

**The dots began to connect in his mind. She was the only one who knew the cockatrices were still alive, but if someone learned she had disrupted the hunting...**

**“We’re not safe here,” Loki said. “The Alfans, they know you’re here.”**

  
  


The idea that anyone would intentionally harm Frigga, curse her, was utterly abhorrent to Runa.

“How? How can this be?” If Loki hadn’t been leaning against her for support, she would have jumped to her feet, so urgent was her desire to do something.

She looked back to Albaron. “We came here with Loki’s brother, Thor, and a few others. Have you seen them?”

**Albaron nodded. “They are still in the marshes, tending to their wounded. Your brother...he is the one with magic, yes? He is also ill from the curse. We should bring them here to heal before you return to Asgard this evening.”**

**Loki looked at Albaron with a steely gaze. “I should go, to tell them what happened here--” He tried to stand, to right himself, but as soon as he attempted to move, the pain in his chest returned, and he groaned. He fell back on Runa’s lap, panting.**

**“You are not yet well enough,” Albaron said gravely. “The venom from your injury did more damage when I cursed you...you should not travel.”**

**Loki looked to Runa, a new expression of trust in his emerald irises. “Go. Bring them here. We will leave from here with the flower using the Bifrost...I will wait for your return...”**

**Then...with just a glimmer of uncertainty in his eyes, he lifted himself slightly...and kissed Runa’s lips softly.**

The tenderness of his touch surprised her more than the kiss itself. Runa blinked stupidly at him for a moment when he pulled away before coming to her senses.

“Oh.” She touched her fingers to her lips, as if she could still taste him there, before blushing from her neck to her ears.

Clearing her throat, she moved Loki to the side so she could stand. “Yes, I’ll find Thor. Explain everything and bring him here.”

A smaller cockatrice came near her, wordlessly lowering itself so she could climb on its back. But Runa hesitated before mounting, looking back at Loki.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright while I’m gone? Do you need anything? Maybe I should change your bandages first...”

**“Go, Runa...” Loki said, eyes searching hers. “Every second counts. I’ll be fine.”**

**Though his chest burned from the venom, there was another feeling there now as well...concern, affection, pride...**

**Love?**

**It was too soon to tell. And it wouldn’t matter if she was unable to bring the rest of their party back to the village...he shook it off.**

**“Albaron and I will try to determine who may have cast this curse on Frigga, and how. It is ancient and unknown by most...that should narrow our choices. But all you must do is get Thor and the others here. Quickly.”**

Runa nodded, pushing her worry to the side. He was right. It would do no good to fuss. And yet...it felt strange to be separating from him after everything.

She mounted the cockatrice, who informed her his name was Torj as he handed her a small vial of extract to bring for Thor. Runa hung on for dear life as he raced through the village and down the mountain, feeling as though she’d left a piece of herself behind.

——-

**Thor coughed again, feeling his illness spreading deeper into his chest. For three days, his condition had been worsening, and now he was relegated to a makeshift cot, stuck in the camp while his guard foraged for what slim sustenance they could find. They had searched daily for Loki and Runa, though if he were honest they were beginning to lose hope, now that it had been so many days. And with Thor growing sicker, they were nearly out of options. They would have to return to Asgard empty-handed, not only without the cure to save Frigga’s life, but also having lost Frigga’s youngest son and her chosen protege.**

**Thor’s heart had already broken a thousand times thinking of it, of how it would destroy his mother when he gave her the news...**

**Suddenly, one of the men started shouting, and a commotion came from the direction of the forest. Thor turned his head as much as he could, squinting to see a shadow rushing through the trees. The cockatrices had finally found them, come to finish them off. All hope was lost...**

**Thor closed his eyes and prayed to the Norns to forgive him for his great failure...**

Runa’s heart leapt when she saw the camp coming into view through the fog surrounding the marsh, though her joy quickly turned to panic when she realized the men were shouting and drawing their weapons.

“Wait!” she cried, risking raising one arm in the air so she could be seen over Torj’s large neck and head. “Hold your fire!”

They broke through the trees at last, Torj’s talons digging deep tracks into the sodden earth as he skidded to a stop.

The men surrounded them, most looking confused and surprised, but a few, Runa noticed with satisfaction, actually looked impressed as she dismounted.

“Where is Prince Thor?” she asked, looking at the soldiers standing before her.

**That was strange...were the Norns speaking to him? He opened his eyes when he heard that high female voice asking for his whereabouts, and his gaze landed on...**

**“Runa!” He choked out, his voice weak and whispering though he’d meant to shout.**

**“How...what...where is Loki?” he wheezed, the excitement of her arrival having drained him almost immediately.**

The men all turned in Thor’s direction as he spoke and Runa’s eyes landed on him. She ran to his side, fumbling in her cloak for the extract.

“Prince Thor, Loki is fine...or, he will be. Here, you must drink this and I’ll explain everything.”

Runa helped Thor take small sips of the precious liquid until he’d finished it, explaining everything that had happened since she and Loki had been tossed into the river.

“As soon as you can move, Torj will lead us back up the mountain to the village. Loki is waiting for us there.”

**By the time Runa had finished her tale, Thor was already feeling much improved. The pain had subsided significantly, and he was having an easier time breathing as well. At this rate, he would be upright soon and then they could be on their way...**

**Thor looked at the sky, judging the time. He thought it must be near dusk, as the shadows lengthened and stretched from the trees...if what Runa said was true, they had to hurry.**

**Suddenly, a whinnying noise came from the direction of the forest. Thor saw another shadow barreling toward them, but this time, it was a small creature, it’s short legs pushing it forward with surprising speed.**

**It only took a moment for Thor to realize what it was, and he smiled brightly. He’d thought the little mare had been lost in the attack...**

“Hazel!!” Runa nearly upended Thor’s cot as she leapt to her feet and ran for the horse.

“Oh, Hazel, my girl, I was afraid I’d never see you again!” She stroked the mare’s neck, trying to sooth her agitated state.

Hazel pawed the ground and flicked her head and tail, nuzzling into Runa’s cheek.

Runa turned to Thor. “She wasn’t with you all this time?”

“ **No, my lady. She disappeared into the forest during the attack. I thought she’d been lost along with you and Loki. I am happy to see she is well!”**

**Thor was beaming - in his moment of most dire hopelessness, all had not been lost. And he was more than ready to see this quest completed.**

**“Come, let us be off to the village. I—“**

**Thor looked around, suddenly realizing that they were short a horse for himself, even with Hazel returned.**

**“I have nothing to ride.”**

**Suddenly, the cockatrice began chirping and clicking, bouncing slightly as though impatient. Thor cocked an eyebrow.**

**“What, eh....what’s wrong with him?”**

“Oh, Torj says you can ride on his back and he’ll lead the party up the mountain.”

Runa pressed her lips together, determined not to laugh at the look on Thor’s face at that.

**“I...see...”**

**Of all the things Thor expected to do in his life, riding a beast such as this had never crossed his mind. But he had no other options, and time was of the essence.**

**“Very well...Torj. I thank you for your...aid...”**

**Slowly, and with help from two of his men, Thor stood shakily, taking a few moments to ensure he had his balance before dismissing the guards. He approached the creature cautiously and put a hand on its back, feeling the rough, firm texture of its leather hide. So these beings were almost driven to extinction for this... It was a sad realization, but one he could not dwell on at this time.**

**He swung his leg over the cockatrice’s neck and held tightly to the feathers near its head. Torj stood, and Thor was happy to see that it was a fairly smooth ride.**

**“Let’s be off, then,” Thor said, signaling to Runa to ride next to him.**

Runa wasn’t sure who was happier at their reunion, herself or Hazel. The mare was practically frolicking as she galloped alongside Torj, who was mercifully choosing his path with hooves - rather than talons -in mind.

And though the situation was dire and time was running out, Runa couldn’t help smiling as she raced through the trees atop her beloved horse.

It took them a bit longer to return, as the horses could not climb the steep terrain as well as the cockatrices, and the sun was just a sliver over the horizon when they entered the village.

Immediately, her eyes searched for Loki. She saw him propped on a makeshift chair constructed of tree stumps, talking to Albaron. He looked... _ good _ . And Runa realized with some amusement that it was rather like a convoy approaching a king on his throne. 

Perhaps she should curtsy.

**As the sun began to set over the mountains, Loki looked up to see Torj returning with Thor upon his shoulders, Runa and her tiny mare trotting happily alongside them. He stood (with some effort and help from Albaron) and went to greet them.**

**He hadn’t wanted to admit it...but he had been so nervous when Runa left. To see her back, with the entire party alive and in tow...he almost couldn’t help himself. He went straight to her as she jumped off Hazel’s back, cupping her face in his hands.**

**“You did it!” He smiled proudly, not even wincing at the pain his movement caused in his chest. He was just so happy to see her...**

Runa beamed up at Loki, leaning into his touch.

“I can scarcely believe it. Everyone is okay. Even Hazel!”

They laughed, watching as Thor awkwardly tried to dismount from Torj with as much dignity as he couldn’t muster. It didn’t go well.

“You should have Thor read the scroll. We have a bit to go before midnight, it’s probably best if we keep things...friendly.”

**Loki nodded, unable to tear his gaze away from her. Just the feel of her skin made his heart race. He gently rubbed the pad of his thumb on her cheek and thrilled when she closed her eyes and leaned into him.**

**“This is going to work...” Loki smiled, almost too overwhelmed with emotion to continue. Tears began to well in his eyes. “We’re going to make it - YOU endured so that we would make it...”**

**He leaned down, her lips slightly parted and too inviting to resist. They were just about to meet when...**

**Thor’s hand came down on his shoulder. When he turned to look, Thor wasn’t even facing him, he was just laughing nervously and backing up.**

**“Loki...it is wonderful to see you, but these creatures keep staring at me and clicking, and I know not what to do...”**

**Loki gave Runa an embarrassed and apologetic look, then turned to attend to Thor. “I’ll return soon...we’ll get some time to chat,” he said quickly before going with Thor and pulling out the translation spell for him.**

Runa shook her head as the two brothers walked off, making her way closer to Albaron.

"Thank you again for your help, for your...compassion." She quickly stepped to the side as two little hatchlings ran past her, with a much larger cockatrice, presumably their mother, giving chase and screeching about bedtime.

Which reminded her...

"Albaron, is there somewhere we could rest until midnight? I'd like to attend to Loki's bandages. And we haven't eaten at all today..."

**"Of course!" Albaron nodded and led her to a small hut near the center of the village. "These are our food stores. You are welcome to take whatever you need - the food has been plentiful since our numbers thinned so dramatically..." He went quiet for a moment, seemingly lost in sad thought...but he shook it off quickly with what must have been a nervous laugh. "My apologies...now is not the time for that."**

**They walked a few buildings away, and he showed her an empty nest, enclosed on all sides by a wicker-esque wall. "You and Loki can rest here until midnight. Once the flowers bloom, you must get them to Frigga as quickly as possible."**

**Meanwhile, Loki assisted Thor with the pronunciations of the words to complete the translation spell. It took several attempts, as Thor apparently could not roll his r's effectively enough for it to activate, but eventually the spell took hold. Thor sighed and grinned with relief before passing the scroll to the other men in his guard.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Runa take a well-earned rest. Together. In a nest. Alone.

When Loki found her in the nest, Runa was pulling supplies out of her bag for his poultice. She wasn't going to let his healing lapse just because they would be returning to Asgard soon.

She gestured for Loki to sit as she finished organizing everything she would need." Albaron offered us some of their food. There's some dried fish and other meats, though I know how fond you were of those roots I found," she said with a sarcastic smile.

**Loki chuckled and climbed into the nest with her. It was surprisingly comfortable, the reeds and twigs used in its construction having been sanded down to a nearly smooth finish. Automatically, he began removing his shirt and old bandages, falling into the easy routine they had perfected of late when he knew she wanted to change them.**

**"You know, I'd like to take some back with us. I think the royal chef might actually be able to do something with them. They're rather similar to Midgardian parsnips, and he's made wonderful dishes with those."**

**Before long, he faced her bare-chested, with just the newly-healing wound between them.**

Runa laughed. "I could probably take a sample and figure out how to propagate--"

Her words trailed off when she looked at him. She had seen his chest countless times by now. But his wound had looked so gorey, so angry, that she hadn't been able to fully appreciate his physique. But now, after the midnight flower extract, the three gashes in his flesh had all but sealed. The lines that still existed were much thinner, shorter, and looked weeks old. The chiseled muscles of his pectorals stood out in sharp relief in the dim light. And without a gaping wound to focus on, to distract her...their nest suddenly seemed very small. And warm.

Runa cleared her throat, scooting closer to him so their thighs were touching. "This flower must be truly miraculous to heal you so quickly, from both venom and a curse."

Loki looked down at his chest as she began gently rubbing the poultice on, taking perhaps more time than was strictly necessary so she could continue touching him.

**Loki felt a lump in his throat as she began to rub the poultice across his chest. How many times had they been through this procedure? And why did it only now seem to be filling him with something other than relief?**

**She carefully tended to the wounds, though they hardly needed any additional attention at this point - the Midnight Flower seemed to have him nearly well. But he wouldn't have stopped her for the world...the soft touch of her fingers along his skin made goosebumps blossom down his neck.**

**He barely noticed when she finished, so lost in the sensation of it that he almost jumped with surprise when she brought out the fresh bandages for him. Sheepishly, he grinned and raised his arms, allowing her to wrap his chest.**

**The whole time, he couldn't bring himself to speak. What could he** **_possibly_ ** **say...?**

"I suppose you're quite used to this sort of thing by now. Your mother was always telling me stories about you when I first started training with her in the gardens. You and Thor both were no strangers to the Healing Wing."

Runa smiled at the memory as she leaned in to reach around Loki's back, passing the bandages from one hand to the other.

**Loki could barely register what she was saying, his thoughts and his body were thrumming with need. The only stronger instinct was the one to remain proper, to avoid making Runa uncomfortable. Despite their earlier familiarity, being alone -** **_in a nest,_ ** **of all things - just smacked of an aphrodesia that he desperately wanted to contain, lest she regret anything once they returned to Asgard.**

**"Uhm...yes..." he forced himself to say, his eyebrows knitting together as he commanded his thoughts back to the present conversation. "Thor and I were quite...rough-and-tumble, as they say, when we were children. But I must say this is the worst chest injury I've suffered so far. Hopefully it will remain so."**

“Norns forbid you should get injured like this ever again. I couldn’t bear it.” She blushed then, realizing she might have said too much.

And though she was exhausted and could think of nothing more appealing at the present moment than curling up next to Loki to rest, she was nearly shaking with hunger at this point.

She passed water to Loki as she divided up the food and began eating her share, finally leaning back against the side of the nest when she had finished, looking up at the now starry sky.

**Loki smiled softly as he took his food and laid next to her, staring up at the peaceful, dark sky. He took a bite out of some of the dried fish, wishing at once to say everything his heart felt and at the same time terrified that she might ever know.**

**"How...ehm...how did you come to be in my mother's service? Have you always been interested in botany?"**

Runa rolled her head sleepily to face Loki, feeling quite content in this moment of peace.

“I have. As a child I was always outside, constantly pestering my tutors by interrupting them to ask questions about trees and flowers. My mother was constantly scolding me for having dirt under my nails.”

She turned on her side to face him fully. “But your mother said I had a gift. My parents brought me with them to court one year. I forget what they were doing...my father was involved in some trade agreement I think. Anyway, I’d given my mother the slip and found my way into the Allmother’s private garden. And your mother found me there, trying to catalogue leaf samples in a little notebook I used to carry around with me.”

Runa laughed, smiling widely. “I thought I was going to get thrown in the dungeons! But your mother simply asked me if I knew what the plant was. I did. So she asked me about another, and when I knew that too she said when I was older, I needed to come study with her at the palace.”

Runa grabbed Loki’s hand, suddenly serious. “I owe my life to your mother. She’s shaped its path so fully.”

**Loki squeezed her hand gently, a look of utter compassion marking his features.**

**“She is...incredible. I don’t know what kind of a person I would have become without her guidance and love.”**

**His look turned sad, and he felt compelled to look away from Runa’s searching eyes.**

**“Being...as I have been. As I AM - very unlike what most Asgardians would expect from one of the royal family - has always been hard. But she made certain I understood that though my gifts were not typical for our society, they were no less valuable or powerful. Without her...I assume I would be even more cantankerous and angry, if you could believe it.”**

**He chuckled sadly, still holding Runa’s hand in his. He had never really opened up to anyone before, and the emotional vulnerability made him incredibly uncomfortable. But, Runa had proven he could trust her...even though it still made him nervous to share his innermost feelings and thoughts.**

Runa pursed her lips together. “I know Asgardians have these ideas about princes and kings...legendary warriors and all that. But when I started studying with your mother...well, she spoke of you often. Thor too, but the stories that I was always most interested in, the ones that helped me learn best, they were always about clever Prince Loki, the mighty sorcerer.”

She gave him a small smile, scooting closer. “Turns out that wielding seidr and botany aren’t all that different. They each require a ‘certain type of mind and aptitude,’ your mother would say. Attention to detail, the ability to understand subtlety and nuance. They each take a sort of...coaxing patience. So sometimes when I was struggling to learn something, she would tell me stories about how you learned a difficult spell.”

She gave a small shrug. “So whatever other Asgardians might say, you’ve always been something of a legend to me.”

**Hearing those words made his stomach do a flip...a** **_legend_ ** **? It was far too high praise for him to be able to accept such a compliment. And the only thing he could do was blush, much to his embarrassment.**

**“Well...thank you...” He adjusted his grip so their fingers entwined, palms pressed together, his heart starting to pound just slightly more quickly.**

**He looked up at the stars above them, taking a deep breath to try and calm his nerves. There was something happening between them, that much was certain. The question was...how far should they take it tonight? They had only a short amount of time before the flowers would bloom, they would return to Asgard to heal Frigga, and soon everything would be back to normal...**

**Was normal good enough anymore? Now that he and Runa had learned so much about each other and been on this grand and dangerous adventure?**

**He found, yet again, he was at a loss for what to say. So he simply put his arm around her and pulled her close to him, allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder.**

“You’re welcome.” Runa’s heart was fluttering as Loki pulled her closer. For a moment she just snuggled into his embrace.

And against her better judgement, she felt hope blossoming deep inside her.

“When we get back to Asgard, would you like to come to my workshop sometime?” She turned her face up to his. “I could show you some of the exotic plants your mother has entrusted to me.”

**Loki grinned and gave her an affectionate squeeze. “Only if you’ll come to see my workshop as well. I’m certain some of the oddities and wonders therein will be of interest. Perhaps we should...collaborate more intimately once we are back at the palace.”**

**Norns, he hadn’t meant to use the word** **_intimately_ ** **, but it just slipped out. He swallowed the knot in his throat, wondering if she noticed, or if she might say anything...or do anything...**

**And wondering if she would discover that her proximity was having a very physical effect as well...not that he could help it.**

Loki just invited her to his workshop—Runa could hardly believe it. The place had been a source of wonder to her for years.

_ Deep breath, don’t seem too eager. _

“Yes, I would like that. To see it and collaborate with you.”

She reached up and tucked a strand of his hair behind his ear, letting her finger trace down his jaw lightly as she drew her hand back.

“I would like that very much, Loki.”

**Loki closed his eyes and shuddered at her touch, not daring to look at her...for he knew it would be his undoing.**

**Now his heart was thundering, every nerve willing him to have the courage to do** **_something_ ** **...but he was frozen with inaction. Too many thoughts spun through his mind - how far would it go? Would he be able or willing to stop? And what would it mean afterward? He’d already kissed her when he didn’t know if he’d have another chance...but now, even that chaste bit of affection felt like it would be the spark that would ignite a room full of powder kegs.**

**Norns, what was he doing? He was well and truly entangled in his emotions, unsure of what to say or do or even think. It was maddening!**

Runa didn’t miss the way Loki’s eyes closed and his body tensed as she touched him. It filled her with a strange mixture of relief and elation.

Good. At least she wasn’t the only one feeling this...whatever it was.

But exhaustion from the day was closing in on her. She leaned up and gave Loki a soft kiss on the cheek. “We should rest while we can.”

With that, she threw her cloak so it covered them both and nestled in at Loki’s side, using one arm around his waist to pull herself as close as she could as her eyes slowly shut.

**With a deep, grateful breath, Loki closed his eyes, simply enjoying her closeness and the warmth of the cloak over their bodies. In no time, the exhaustion that had been building over the last few days finally overtook him, and he fell into a deep sleep.**

**While he slept, he dreamed.**

**He was back in Asgard - a perfect day, with the sun shining brightly and the air clear and refreshing. He rode his stallion through an open field, the wind blowing through his hair as the powerful beast carried him away from the troubles and responsibilities of princehood, finally allowing him to relax, to breathe, to just be himself.**

**But suddenly, there was another beside him. Riding on a little mare next to him...was Runa, dressed in a flowing white gown, her smile brighter than the sun itself. She looked so happy, and seeing her expression made his heart nearly burst with joy.**

**The dream was the most peaceful and pleasant he’d ever had...but it was short-lived. He heard something moving near him, and he awoke to the sound of the cockatrices strolling by. Blinking and taking a moment to remember where he was, he turned to see Runa sleeping on his chest, a delicate smile playing on her lips.**

**And that same burst of joy filled his heart.**

**He gently stroked her hair and smiled as her eyes fluttered open to meet his gaze.**

Runa gave a small stretch as her eyes focused on Loki. She was still nestled against him and felt wonderfully cozy.

She was dimly aware of cockatrices bustling about on the other side of their nest. It must be nearly time.

Loki was stroking her hair and smiling down at her. And the look in his eyes...Norns it made her throat too tight to speak. Her heart started pounding traitorously as she gazed at his handsome face.

**The moment she opened her eyes...he was done for. Still vibrating from the elation of his dream, he pulled her even closer, bent down...and he captured her lips with his.**

**He let everything go with that kiss - every uncertainty, every hesitation, every doubt he’d felt before falling asleep was willingly and enthusiastically released into the night air. He kissed her like he had been wanting to do since the first inklings of attraction sparked his curiosity, like his body had been screaming at him to do all night, like he wanted her now and forever...**

**And he felt the ice crack in the glacier of his heart.**

For a moment, as Loki’s lips closed upon hers, Runa thought she must still be dreaming. Her heart soared as she felt his hand slide along her cheek and behind her head, pulling her closer.

Her own hand slid up his chest to rest on his shoulder as she pressed herself against him. And when he parted her lips with his tongue, she couldn’t stop the quiet moan of delight that sounded from her throat.

**He never wanted to let her go. Loki wrapped his arms around her, pulling her on top of him and never breaking their kiss, his eyebrows drawing together in desperation and need. He needed her body, her touch, her softness - needed it like water and air.**

**His hands found the bottom edge of her shirt, and he began to explore her skin underneath, soft moans escaping his throat as the electric sensation of contact crackled through his fingers and into his body. She sighed with need, arching against him, and he knew they both wanted more. He was just about to bring his hand to her breast when...**

**He heard terrified shouting and howls coming from the village center.**

**Instantly, he broke their kiss and stared into her eyes, just as shocked and concerned as his. He helped her off of him and they ran out of the nest toward the source of the sounds, all amorous intentions forgotten in the light of this new unknown threat.**

Runa’s heart was thundering even before seeing the horrific sight that met their eyes. As she righted her shirt, she saw the village in chaos, cockatrices running in every direction, shrieking for their children.

Men seemed to be running into the village from the tree line, carrying...rope?

“What in the Nines is happening?”

**Before he could answer, a net came flying out from the nearby trees, capturing Torj and Thor. Squawks and shrieks filled the air as more nets shot out and trapped several more cockatrices...including Albaron.**

**Loki strained and forced his seidr to come to him, summoning his dagger despite the searing pain that shot through him the moment he did it. He grit his teeth and growled, falling to his knees and crawling the short distance to Albaron, slicing the netting as quickly as he could.**

**More figures began to approach from the dark forest...right as the Midnight Flowers began to bloom.**

Runa let out a shriek of surprise as figures started swarming them, nets flying over the scrambling cockatrices.

Rushing over to Loki and Albaron, she took out her knife and began assisting Loki, sawing over the thick bands of rope as quickly as she could.

“Albaron, are you alright? Who are these people?”

**Albaron groaned as he writhed out of the netting, using his tail to whip one of the attackers away. The enemy flew back, crashing hard against a tree trunk and landing face-first on the ground with a sickening thud.**

**“Alfans! They followed you to us!” Albaron roared, and suddenly a second net came flying out at him. Loki and Runa barely had time to scurry back before it trapped the elder cockatrice yet again. He looked at them with furious, pleading eyes.**

**“** **_Eat_ ** **the flowers...protect us...please...” he begged, his strength starting to falter. Something in the nets was draining their energy...**

**Behind him, he heard Thor give a mighty battle yell, and just enough lightning came to him to break the net that held him and Torj. He backed up to Runa and Loki as Torj began to fight the attackers with his claws and teeth. Thor’s bare fists were sparking with electricity, his mighty Mjolnir raised and ready for the fray.**

**“Loki...” he said with uncertainty, asking with his tone what he should do as more of the cockatrices were immobilized by the nets.**

Runa looked from Thor to Loki, puzzling over what Albaron had said.

_ “Eat the flowers.” _ Eat, not take.

“Loki, the flowers. We have to get to them.”

**Loki nodded to her, then with a look indicated to Thor that he should follow them. They rushed over to the garden enclosure, dodging nets and slaying enemies along the way. Loki made sure to keep Runa between himself and his brother; as adept as she was at wilderness survival...she was no warrior.**

**It seemed to have taken much longer, but in several minutes they were there. Loki looked down at the now-open flowers - beautiful near-black purple petals and shimmering, star-like specks adorning them like jewels.**

**Loki looked to Runa. “Collect the flowers...did he say we should** **_eat_ ** **them?” He asked, a bit incredulous, but his attention was drawn to an attacking Alfan. He had to push the enemy away before stabbing him repeatedly in the chest.**

**He looked around the village at the chaos - there were dozens of Alfan hunters descending on the village, a small army capturing as many of the cockatrices as they could and keeping the Asgardian guards completely occupied.**

**There was no chance they could stop this travesty. There were too many of them...**

Runa knelt besides the delicate flowers and carefully pinched the heads off three of them.

“Here,” she said, handing one each to Thor and Loki. “You’ll need to chew and swallow this all in one go.”

She had a suspicion she knew why Albaron had instructed them to eat the flowers themselves, based on the science behind its healing properties. And as she swallowed her own portion and felt a strange sort of buzzing begin to radiate down her limbs, she prayed she was right.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Runa protect the village...and things take an unexpected turn.

**Loki shoved the flower into his mouth and chewed quickly before swallowing. It had a slightly peppery flavor that wasn’t at all unpleasant, but soon an unfamiliar sensation began to spread. Suddenly, he felt an immense surge of magic course through him like a deluge, and he gasped, nearly overwhelmed by the sudden rush of seidr that manifested at his core. He fell to one knee as he tried to adjust to the incredible power that buzzed and burst in his body, but in his moment of vulnerability, one of the Alfan hunters saw their opportunity and leapt at him, blade drawn and ready to slice him open...**

**Loki caught the blade bare-handed, not a drop of blood spilling from his skin.**

**To the Alfan’s shock and dismay, Loki stood, a wicked and victorious grin crossing his face as he looked at the unfortunate soul...and his eyes filled with glowing, bright green light.**

**Without a word, he threw the blade AND the hunter back. The man flew past the nests and nearly all the way out of the village, landing in a dusty heap and no longer moving.**

**Loki looked to Thor, who was now crackling with electricity, his eyes white and flaming with his power. The brothers stood together, ready to face down their enemies.**

Runa watched in awe as Loki and Thor literally glowed with power, seidr and lightening flowing through each of them.

Loki threw back his first assailant with ease, wicked joy etched on his face, and Runa’s heart soared at the sight of him in his element.

She was thinking she would try to guard the little garden of fragile Midnight flower blossoms—because what else could she possibly do to help?—when the ground at her feet started trembling.

“Loki?!” she called in alarm, thinking this was another attack of some sort.

But when he turned toward her, she saw a hooded figure lean out from behind one of the nests, shooting an arrow right at Loki’s exposed back.

The shriek hadn’t even left her throat when the ground at Loki’s heels burst open, a thick root rearing out of the earth, dirt flying everywhere, to block the arrow, which stuck into the writhing wood with a muted thud.

**Loki gasped and stumbled, but quickly saw the arrow, assessed the situation, calculated from whence it came, and sent a force blast of seidr at the shooter. The hooded figure was thrown backward into a tree, crumpling on the ground.**

**Loki turned back to Runa, looking around the root...and she was magnificent. Her eyes glowed with a bright lavender purple energy, and despite her shock and bewilderment at what was happening, roots and vines danced at her feet, awaiting her command.**

**“Runa! Protect the flowers and take out as many Alfans as you can!” Loki shouted as a group of hunters came to attack him. With a flourish, he sent them all flying backward, landing them into other Alfan soldiers.**

**Thor shouted to Loki over the din of battle. “I’ll stop the ones that have netted the cockatrices!” he said, revving up Mjolnir, and a second later he was flying away to aid the entrapped creatures.**

**Loki backed up so he was level with Runa, and all the Alfans were now focused on them - they were the biggest threat, and they were the main target now.**

**Loki smirked.**

**“Ready?” he said quietly to her as he grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze.**

Runa didn’t know where to look first. Chaos erupted around them as man and beast fought and screamed. Maybe that was why the prince currently clutching her hand seemed to be having the time of his life.

She squeezed his hand back. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

And then the first wave hit them.

The Alfans charged with swords drawn and bows loaded with arrows. The latter of which were aimed mostly at Loki, the Alfans having deemed him the greater threat. But with his attention on them, he blasted the arrows to dust with powerful bursts of his seidr before they even got close.

Runa didn’t have time to watch Loki for long. Three Alfans made for her with their swords. When they were feet away, the earth cracked open and a giant root swiped all three of them back, knocking the breath out of them and sending their weapons scattering.

She turned around to get her bearings and saw with horror that debris from the battle was landing inside the garden, knocking some of the fence posts down. Already two of the delicate blooms were squashed.

“No!” She knelt beside the plants, looking up at the open sky above, the starry night seeming to reflect back in each beautiful petal.

She felt it then, a small tug in her gut, and she knew what to do. She plunged her hands into the freshly tilled soil, reaching, reaching...

Grasping roots reached back for her, like spindly fibrous hands. They closed around her wrists, and for a moment, everything went absolutely white. She couldn’t see or hear the battle around her. Everything on this little world seemed to take one deep, collective breath, and then she was back in her body, only her body didn’t end with her fingers and toes. She felt herself in every tree lining the village. In every limb, root, and leaf.

She smiled then, as a cage of roots formed protectively over the Midnight flowers, and the trees all around them began to move.

**Loki had never wielded so much seidr before! Even when he was fighting for his life and drawing on as much power as he could, it was a drop in the bucket compared to the torrents of magic currently at his command. He marveled at the ease with which the power flowed through him, throwing back enemies left and right as they came running toward him, trying to stop them, trying to take the cockatrices and destroy the village.**

**But the entire time, two words repeated in his mind:** **_Protect Runa. Protect Runa. Protect Runa._ **

**It seemed there would be no end to the invading Alfans...Loki continued to fight, to slay, to stab and throw and battle adversaries on all sides, but they continued to get closer and closer until he was in hand-to-hand combat with three or four at a time, while others ran around him and straight toward the Midnight Flowers. And Runa.**

**Loki was so focused on the plethora of enemies that he didn’t notice when the trees began to move...but when he did, he looked at Runa and saw her crouched near the flowers, elbow-deep in the soil with her eyes glowing even brighter than before. A victorious smile spread across his face. She had the entire forest fighting for them now!**

Runa felt as though she was everywhere at once: in front of the Midnight Flower garden, in the tree line behind the nests, along the steep incline of the cliffs. And as disorienting as it was, Norns, it was thrilling.

_ Is this what Loki feels like all the time? _

Alfans running into the village were yanked right off their feet or knocked unconscious by thick branches as trees, old and young, reached and swayed, their twiggy appendages acting as hands and arms.

She concentrated, hands digging deep into the soil, as she felt in her mind for the biggest trees. With a mighty creaking and groaning that echoed over the mountaintop, those trees pulled their roots from the earth and began to walk, stomping and bashing the terrified Alfans as they marched.

**The fight continued as wave after wave of Alfans swarmed the village center, enemies falling left and right as Runa’s plants and Loki’s seidr wiped out their ranks almost as quickly as they could approach. Loki could tell the tide of the battle was turning - between the rampaging trees, his unending blasts of seidr, and the cracking peal of lightning in the distance, it was becoming obvious that the three of them would indeed stave off the Alfan invaders! The cockatrices fought bravely alongside them, carrying their wounded away to the safety of the garden, where Runa would allow them through the barrier of whipping vines and roots that surrounded her and the root-covered Midnight Flowers.**

**The flow of enemies became sparser and sparser until...not one Alfan hunter was left standing.**

**The day was won!**

**Breathing heavily, he saw several of the unconscious Alfans being wrapped and bound by snaking vines and pulled to a spot near the garden. Loki had to admit he was impressed - Runa’s mastery of the magic she’d been given, especially without any training or experience, was exceptional. Her deep connection with plants had served her well.**

**Still surging with magical energy, Loki approached the garden, checking on the cockatrices to make sure they were alright. He was thrilled to see they had only minor injuries, and Thor returned a moment later confirming that he and the Asgardian guards had freed all of the cockatrices that had been netted. Loki’s chest burst with pride - they had done it!**

**He went to Runa and crouched next to her, putting a gentle hand on her back. “Well done, Runa!” He said happily. “That was quite a display of force! You’re a natural!”**

**She didn’t respond.**

**“Runa?” Loki tried to get her to look at him, but she stayed firm and still in the dirt, a focused grimace still upon her face. The trees and roots continued to sway and dance around her.**

**“Runa,” Loki said more urgently. “Runa, can you hear me?!”**

Runa's body thrummed with power. It was amazing! Every curling vine, twisting root, and pummeling branch was an extension of her body, her mind, her very soul.

She delighted in each sensation, relishing the movement as though she was stretching awake after a long sleep.

While the battle raged on around her, she was vaguely aware of hatchlings running for cover in her cage, hurried along by frenzied mothers. She knew Loki was near her, easily fighting off multiple men at one time. He was amazing. She wanted to focus on him but... she couldn't.

Her mind whirled deeper into the power, into the earth itself. The sensations of the plants and trees became a distant echo, the buzz of power filling her ears, her sight, herself. Everything was bright white light, burning through her, charging along every nerve. It sizzled around her, along her skin, hotter and hotter, as though she herself was the light, as though she was nothing more than sensation and power and searing energy.

She had a last faint thought of stars and their bright white glow, before she fell into the empty black space between them.

**“RUNA!”**

**Loki was near panicking. She wouldn’t move or respond, no matter what he tried to awaken her...it was almost as though she were no longer in her body. He tried to pull the root cage apart, to get to the flowers...but it wouldn’t budge.**

**“Runa, we need to get to the flowers! RUNA!”**

**Now he was battling not just the panic of Runa’s comatose state...but also the very real possibility that they would not be able to get to the flowers in time to save Frigga.**

**Thor approached, pushing aside the cockatrices to get to Loki.**

**“What’s wrong? What happened to her?”**

**“I...I don’t know, she’s...stuck, she’s trapped. RUNA!!!”**

**Loki couldn’t think clearly - to have come so close, and now to be on the verge of losing the flowers, losing Frigga...losing Runa...**

**He fell to his knees next to her, the only thought in his mind was to do something so stupid and risky, he probably would have tried to talk himself out of it if he hadn’t been so desperate. He couldn’t lose her...not after everything they’d been through.**

**He put his hands on either side of her head, and his eyes rolled back as he entered her mind.**

She was nothing and she was everything.

Floating.

Eternal.

Unending.

But then, a light. A sound. A voice.

“Runa!” it called.

Something stirred in her, wanting to respond. It was familiar, filling her with warmth. But she couldn’t see, couldn’t feel...she was lost.

**Loki’s consciousness barely remained coherent as he fell through the layers of the empty, blank, void of nothingness. Her mind was intact, but she...she was gone.**

**“Runa!” He called out, the sound echoing the vast open space. He couldn’t see anything of her - no memories, no thoughts, no emotions. No her.**

**Loki searched frantically, feeling through every crevice and shadow for any trace of Runa, but it was as though her soul had been pulled from her. And if it had been...it had to have been pulled somewhere. He kept searching.**

**Time worked differently. He didn’t know whether he’d searched for a minute, or a year, or an eon - it all melded together into one unending sensation of present. But he didn’t give up - he wouldn’t give up. He needed her back. She needed to come back with him...but still, he couldn’t find her.**

**Finally, filled with an overwhelming sense of hopelessness and desperate for any clue, any hint that might lead him to where she went, Loki did the only other thing he could bear to do.**

**He screamed.**

**He screamed as loud and as long as he could, letting all the fear and worry and anger and panic burst out from him in a rippling wave of energy and emotion that radiated from him like firelight.**

**He screamed at the emptiness and the nothing, until he had no scream left in him. And then he wept.**

Runa floated in the dark, peaceful emptiness. But then she felt it. The pull, an ocean drawing back, the collective breath before the waves crash.

It hit her like a tidal wave.

She tumbled and whirled, pummeled by energy, by emotion. Despair and fear and hope and anger. It was so vital, so real, it washed away the net of darkness and she could see.

Looking down, she found she had a body once again, but barely. She appeared a transparent specter even to herself. A sound drew her attention, and she looked up through the swirling mist, lavender light cast all around her.

“Loki?”

**“Runa?!” Loki jolted at the sound of her voice. He looked up and saw her, floating like a ghost in front of him. Her hair and clothing swirled around her in an invisible, intangible breeze.**

**“Angel...” He went to her, trying to embrace her, but he passed through as though she weren’t even there. He turned back to her with desperation marking all his features.**

**“We have to go back.” His voice echoed in the empty cavern of her mind. “The flowers...Frigga...time is running out!”**

The look on Loki’s face made her heart ache. He was saying something with great urgency. The words were carried to her slowly, as if fighting their way against a current.

_ Flowers. Frigga. _

These were important words. They meant something to him. To her.

He was so beautiful, even as he pleaded. She wanted to touch him, to kiss away the tears on his cheeks.

Runa reached for him, and when the tips of her fingers met his face, they did not pass through. Skin met skin and she jolted as though struck by lightning. The lavender mist swirled and danced around them, charged by their connection as she fell more fully into her own body.

She sagged against him, his body solid and strong as he held her up. Words and thoughts and images surged in her mind.

_ Frigga. Midnight flower. Cockatrices. Alfans. _

“Loki? Loki?!” she grasped onto him, needing something to ground her.

“How do we get out? I don’t know how!”

**As soon as he felt her touch, as real as anything could be in this place, his face lit up with elation. He held her, supporting her and comforting her, like a bastion of safety...like home.**

**“I can get us out. Wrap your arms around me, darling. I’ve got you.”**

**He felt her grip on him tighten, and with a sigh of relief he began pulling them back into reality, reeling them in like a fish on a line. The whole time, he kept her as close as he could, using his entire self to ensure she was with him and keeping the magical forces that brought her here at bay.**

**Finally, he felt them surface...and he opened his eyes. He was back in the garden, still gently holding Runa’s face, everyone in the village staring at them. But he could only see her, waiting for her to come back to him...**

As Runa came back to reality, she felt Loki's hands carefully cradling her face. Her eyes fluttered open and met his.

"Loki," she breathed.

She still felt the force of the Midnight flower thrumming inside her, though not nearly as potent. She used the last of that power to set the trees back into the earth, dragging the roots and vines down into the ground and freeing the flowers and cockatrices. Slowly, she pulled her own hands from the earth, and, caked as they were in dirt, she reached up to touch Loki's hand with her own.

"Thank you," she said, leaning in to press her lips to his.

**For a moment, Loki was lost in the kiss, her lips and her body too much to resist. He was so grateful, so relieved...and so ready to get off this moon.**

**With a smile, he pulled back.**

**“I thought I’d lost you...” he said softly, resting his forehead against hers. “I didn’t know what I would have done if—“**

**He had to stop, as his suddenly overpowering emotions closed his throat. He swallowed the knot there, then blinked away the tears just beginning to brim in his eyes, now returned to the state.**

**“We need to go,” he stated, pulling back to look at the flowers...and then realizing that literally ALL the cockatrices, the Asgardians, his brother, even the tied up Alfans who had regained consciousness were watching them. Everyone was silent, and he could even see a few in the crowd with tears in their eyes, smiling with relief. He cleared his throat as he stood, trying to maintain an appearance of control, though the slight reddening of his pale cheeks said otherwise.**

**“Come on,” he said loudly. “Frigga is waiting for us. We can interrogate them back in Asgard,” he concluded, pointing to the Alfans** .

The emotion on Loki's face made Runa's own throat tighten, but she shoved away the words that bubbled up inside her. Frigga. They had to get the flower to Frigga.

She asked one of the men from their party to bring her bag. Carefully, she dug around one of the flowers, lifting it up so the roots were exposed, straining to stay implanted in the earth. One by one, she snipped the fragile roots with her sheers, carefully tying off the ends into neat little knots. Pulling a leather pouch from her bag, she filled it halfway with water and slowly lowered the plant inside, drawing the string tight over the top.

She turned to Albaron, reaching out to touch his wing with her hand. "Thank you. I wish we had more time."

Cradling the pouch to her chest, she faced Loki and Thor. "We have about one hour for me to get this back and pull the extract for the Allmother."

**Thor nodded, leading her and the rest of the party to an open area outside the village.**

**Loki gave one last look to Albaron, the creature nodding gravely at him. “You will be protected by Asgard,” he said solemnly. “Heimdall will be watching over you. Once we learn who caused all this pain and struggle, you and your kind will be safe. I promise.”**

**“Thank you,” Albaron said, lowering his head in a bow, which Loki returned before joining the rest of the Asgardians and their horses.**

**Once they were all assembled, Thor raised his hammer. “Heimdall! Bring us home!” he shouted to the sky, and instantly a bright beam of rainbow light came down on top of them. A few seconds later, all that remained was an intricate pattern burnt on the wet ground of the Alfan moon.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Runa return to Asgard with the Midnight Flower, and time is short to save the Allmother...will their newfound feelings for each other last, now that they've returned home?

As soon as they arrived back on Asgard, Runa kicked Hazel into a gallop. They thundered down the rainbow bridge to the palace, and within minutes she was jumping down and running for the greenhouses.

She flew past the glass windows and plants of every shape and size, her cloak billowing behind her.

She nearly broke down the door into her own rooms in her haste to get in, but at last she was in her workroom, just as she’d left it. The bunches of drying herbs hanging from the ceiling swayed as she tore through the room, lighting the fire and filling a bowl of water. In the center of the room, her work table was clear and neat. She piled glass bottles, tweezers, knives, and plates on the scrubbed surface before carefully taking the Midnight Flower out of the leather bag, propping it up on a stand.

Slowly, she used the tweezers to peel back the petals, exposing the heart of the flower. Setting a glass bottle under the blossom, she started to apply heat to the roots, just as Loki burst through the door, chest heaving as he caught his breath.

**“NORNS, woman, when did you get so fast?!” he gasped. “I though Hazel’s legs were going to fall off—“**

**He quieted as he saw her working, focused and professional. Her workroom was a marvel of organic matter and scientific equipment, with plants growing on nearly all surfaces that weren’t covered in glass beakers or other tools of her trade.**

**“Frigga is awake,” he said quietly. “She knows we’ve returned. But she is very weak. How long before the extract is ready?”**

Runa didn't answer right away, too focused on heating the roots without burning them. After an agonizing moment, bright blue fluid began to drip out of the blossom and into the awaiting bottle. She nearly sagged in relief, putting out the flame with a flick of her wrist.

Finally, she looked up a Loki. "Nearly there. Come look."

He walked over to her table to stand beside her and they both lowered their heads to watch more closely.

When the bottle was almost full, Runa used the tweezers to pinch the small pod inside the petals, getting every last drop of fluid out. The flower itself looked drained of life, it's once vibrant purple petals pale and withered. Wasting no time, she corked the bottle and stood it in the shallow dish of cool water, watching as the liquid changed from blue to purple.

**Loki held his breath as he watched her work, entranced by her practiced movements guided by deep-set knowledge. It truly was like its own sorcery, the focus and precision needed almost identical to his practice.**

**“Is it ready?” He said softly, feeling strange about breaking the thick silence of the room.**

Runa heaved a sigh, taking the bottle out of the water and drying it with a towel.

“Yes. Let’s go.”

**Loki walked with her to Frigga’s chambers, taking long steps in his eagerness to help her. He saw Runa scurrying to keep up, but her face showed that she was just as determined to get to Frigga quickly.**

**As they entered, all eyes turned to them - Thor and Odin, at Frigga’s bedside, the attendants running to and fro to attend to her needs, even her prized singing birds seemed to calm in their cages as Loki and Runa carried the fresh extract to the Allmother.**

The doors shut behind them, and Runa lowered her head as her knees bent, offering a bow to the king and queen. "Your Majesties, I have the flower extract for Queen Frigga."

"Come, my dear," Frigga rasped, waving her over weakly.

Runa didn't hesitate. She was at Frigga's side in an instant, instructing one of the healers to prop her up and help her administer the dose. The room was utterly silent as the queen slowly sipped from the vial, and Runa was sure her heart was going to burst right out of her chest with anxiety. She hardly dared to breathe as Frigga finished the last drops, settling back into her pillows.

**Loki watched as Frigga laid back down with a relieved sigh and a small smile on her face, and for the first time since she’d fallen ill, he felt hope.**

**Frigga opened her eyes and smiled at Runa, gently cupping her cheek in her hand “Well done, Runa. Tell me...how is my friend Albaron?”**

Tears filled Runa's eyes as she grasped Frigga's hand. Already she felt Frigga's palm warming against her cheek.

"He speaks highly of you, my Queen." She gave Frigga a watery smile, sniffling slightly. "The compassion you showed in the past saved our lives on that moon. Saved Loki. In fact..." She hesitated, looking to the prince, the silent question to Loki clear in her eyes.

**Frigga smiled warmly, a few tears filling her own eyes as well.**

**“I know, dear. And I couldn’t be happier. You two are a perfect compliment to each other. I can already see how he loves you...”**

**With a sigh, she fell back again, resting against the soft pillows. Even that small exertion seemed to have drained her. But she was recovering, the power of the Midnight Flower returning her strength gradually.**

**“I need to sleep now, but I want to see you when I awaken. We have much to discuss.”**

Runa felt herself blush all the way to the tips of her ears, staring wide-eyed at the queen. Thor seemed to be trying very hard not to smile.

_ Love? _

But healers bustled in then, tending to the queen and making sure she was comfortable, ushering Runa toward the door so the royal family could have some peace.

She gave a last searching look to Loki as she was escorted through the doors, but his face was unreadable.

A half hour later as she lay soaking in the bath trying to scrub out the dirt caked under her nails—really, she’d gone before the Allfather like  _ that _ , what was she thinking??—Frigga’s words played over and over in her mind.

_...a perfect compliment to each other. I can already see how he loves you. _

She knew there was something between them after so many days together and everything they’d been through, but  _ love _ ? Could Loki love her?

The idea filled her with a terrible, wonderful sort of longing that burned in her chest. But the Allmother was near delirious, weak with exhaustion and fatigued from her illness.

No, she wouldn’t get her hopes up, even if her own heart seemed to echo his name with every beat.

Loki, Loki, Loki.

_ He is grateful to me for saving his life and his mother’s _ , she thought as she climbed into bed.

But Runa couldn’t sleep. The bed seemed cold and empty. The blankets were too soft, the room too quiet. It wasn’t until she imagined herself laying under the starry sky of a foreign moon, wrapped in the arms of her prince, that she finally fell asleep.

**Loki tossed and turned in his chambers that night, both too comfortable and too warm to find rest in his formerly familiar bed.**

**He wanted Runa back. Norns help him, he felt empty without her now. The scar tissue on his chest itched and bothered him, and the irony of that discomfort being centered over his heart wasn’t lost on him.**

**Forcing himself to remain still and take deep breaths, he thought of her as he’d seen her in her mind, ethereal and floating, her face calm and perfect, her eyes glowing with lavender light.**

**_Angel..._ **

**He finally fell asleep thinking of her, already eager for the next morning, when he could be with her again.**

~The Next Morning~

Clutching a small tin, Runa raised a hand to knock on the doors of Loki's suite. She took a deep breath, straightening her dress and fixing the curls hanging over her shoulder--which she had absolutely not spent an hour fixing that morning--while she waited.

As soon as the door opened, she blurted, "I made you a salve for the itching."

**Loki blinked as she stood nervously at his door, holding out the salve like an offering. She looked so...different - her hair was done, as was her makeup; she wore a beautiful dress meant for only the most cherished of Frigga’s ladies-in-waiting, and her face...was she scared of him? Now that they were back in Asgard, everything seemed...strange.**

**But that didn’t stop his heart from thundering in his chest.**

**“Thank you, Runa,” he said as he took the salve from her. She stood there awkwardly then, not saying anything. The poor thing was a mess.**

**“Do you still want to see my workshop?” he offered, stepping to the side and welcoming her into the waiting room of his suite.**

Norns, did he have to be so handsome? Runa swallowed and nodded, stepping into the room.

She could see into his sitting area from where they stood. Everything was elegantly decorated. Sleek and luxurious without being gaudy, much like the prince himself.

_ Get it together,  _ Runa chastised herself.

She took a deep breath. “How do you feel today? Did the healers have a look at your chest?”

**“Good. Better,” he said, unthinkingly bringing his hand to his chest and touching where the scarred tissue was hidden. “They say I’ll live.”**

**He tried to joke, but the mood wasn’t right for it. To be fair, his wound did itch quite a bit...**

**“Runa, would you mind if— I mean, might you help me— um, Norns, this is— uhm...”**

**Loki found himself in one of those rare moments where he could not, for the life of him, complete a sentence...every time he tried to start again he would look at her, and his mind shut down - all he could do was stare at her beautiful face, and think about all the things they’d shared, all the things he wanted to say...but couldn’t bring himself to voice aloud.**

**He took a heavy breath and ran a hand through his hair, trying to pull himself together.**

Runa bit her lip, hiding her smile. Loki was... _ flustered _ ? Gods, just when she thought he couldn’t be any cuter. It gave her courage, despite her own nerves and the butterflies in her stomach.

“Shall I...apply it for you? I’m sure you’re uncomfortable, and you probably have proper bandages here now to cover it, instead of torn strips of my spare shirt,” she said with a laugh.

**Loki exhaled heavily, both grateful she had brought up exactly what he had wanted to ask and nervous as Hel about what this gentle action might do to his heart. Regardless, his wound needed treatment, and she was there to help. She had always been there to help.**

**“Yes, thank you,” he smiled, and he began to undo the fasteners and buttons of his shirt. Being back in his royal clothing around her felt awkward - he had grown used to the simple linen garb he’d worn on the Alfan moon, and he felt so overdressed in her presence.**

**“The bandages are in the bathroom. I’ll meet you over there in my workshop,” he directed as she went to retrieve the fresh bandages from his bathroom. Once she was no longer watching him, he took a nervous exhale and allowed his hands to shake just slightly as he finished removing his shirt.**

Runa quickly gathered the supplies from the cabinet in his bathing chamber and walked into his workshop. She stopped in the doorway, looking around in wonder. Loki's workshop was twice the size of hers, and twice as crowded. Bookshelves full to bursting lined the walls, separated only by the two large windows and enormous fireplace, which was already aglow with crackling flames. The multiple tables were covered in neat stacks of papers and tied scrolls, each meticulously labeled and straightened as though Loki had used a ruler to line them up.

"Wow," Runa said, stepping toward one of the bookcases containing his equipment: bowls, beakers, weights, trays, tools, and bottle after bottle of potion ingredients, all marked and organized by size. The books too seemed to be listed alphabetically--the ones that could fit within the shelves at least, for there were more neatly piled on top of the shelves and on the tables nearby.

"It's quite an impressive space." She turned toward Loki, who was sitting on a plush green velvet divan by one of the windows. Sitting beside him, she set down the bandages and took the tin of salve back from him, still looking around. There was so much to see!

"What's in there?" She nodded her head behind him, toward a cabinet with iron-wrought glass doors, a key hanging in the lock.

**“More dangerous items that shouldn’t be left in the open,” he said as she opened the tin and took a generous amount of the ointment on her fingertips. “I was doing some additional research on the Rusilium Curse...it turns out it** **_can_ ** **be cast by someone who doesn’t normally wield magic if they have the right ingredients and enough time. With Thor’s information from the interrogation of the Alfan hunters, we’re close to figuring out who cursed Frigga in the first—“**

**His words stopped as her fingers touched him, gently rubbing the soothing salve over his chest. Loki swallowed hard and dared to look at her, to make eye contact.**

**“—place...”**

**In this intimate moment...he** **_had_ ** **to see how she was reacting to the tension he felt so strongly that he swore it could be cut with a dagger.**

Runa nodded her head absently, concentrating on applying the salve. The wound was closed now, but the scars were still fresh--raised puffy lines, bright pink, etched over his heart.

She looked up when he paused, their eyes meeting. After the extract and the reassurance that his mother would recover, the color had returned to his face. Though his skin was still fair, it had reverted back to its usual healthy glow. The sunlight shining through the window behind her lit up his blue-green eyes, which seemed to dance with some unspoken emotion. Her eyes dropped to his lips, so very pink. So very tempting. She wondered what they might taste like right now

Scooping more salve from the tin, she cleared her throat, eyes dropping back to his chest as she continued to gently massage the ointment onto his scars.

"I'm glad to know the culprit is close to being caught. You'll have to tell me the whole story." She was distracted for a moment as his abdomen flexed, Loki sucking in a breath as she applied the fresh salve. How she wanted to trace her fingers down those lines of chiseled muscle...

"How does this feel?" she asked, suddenly a bit breathless herself.

**How did it feel? How did it** **_feel_ ** **?! It felt like he wanted to explode with desire and joy, like he might do or say something completely uncharacteristic just to break the tension, like he had to show her that their time together surviving in the wilderness meant more to him than he could possibly express...**

**Instead, he pushed all of that down as she finished applying the balm and controlled himself.**

**“Much better, thank you...” he said, his voice a gravely, dark tone that exposed how much he was trying to hide.**

**He lifted his arms so she could wrap the bandages around his torso, but he couldn’t bring himself to say more. And when she finished and sat there, wringing her hands, blushing, hazarding shy glances at him as he tried to maintain his composure...Norns.**

As Runa sat there, hands fidgeting in her lap after finishing with the bandages, she wondered what she should do. She supposed she should probably leave. She had no reason to stay, really. Maybe she could invite him to the greenhouses tomorrow, or find some other excuse to have a visit with him.

But she didn't move. The idea of getting up, saying polite goodbyes and walking out the door was more than she could bear. Runa found herself wishing they were back on that moon, curled up together under a starry sky, the perfect pretense to be close to him, to touch him. And gods, she wanted to touch him. Her whole body seemed to thrum with longing, with desire. She wanted to feel every inch of hard, muscled flesh, wanted to trace every line and plane of his body, wanted to taste him, wanted to hear him whisper her name, she wanted...wanted, wanted, wanted.

**His resistance...collapsed.**

**He leaned forward, eyes locked on her, gaze shifting from her eyes to her lips and back again…**

**“Runa...I…”**

Loki was leaning towards her. He was saying something but she couldn't hear him over the pounding of her own heart. She felt...charged. Electric. Almost like she had just eaten another Midnight Flower. She watched, once more feeling disconnected from her own body, as her hand reached up for Loki's chest. It rested delicately on his bandages, right over his heart for a moment, slowly sliding down, fingertips ghosting over the unyielding lines of his abdomen, which flexed again at the cool touch of her fingers.

**He couldn’t wait any longer. To do so would have been unendurable. He brought his hand to her cheek, and with one last, searching look...he kissed her.**

**The moment her lips met his, all the tension, all the unrest, all the fear and uncertainty melted out of him in a torrent. It felt** **_right_ ** **. It felt** **_good_ ** **. And the way her breath caught and she returned the kiss with equal passion...he let himself go.**

**Their lips danced, tongues gliding and diving as he pulled her on top of him on the divan, holding her head gently and weaving his fingers through her hair, reveling in the sensation that these intimate touches gave him. His eyebrows peaked as he deepened their kiss, breathing heavy, heart pounding, eyes closed.**

**_Angel. Angel. Angel._ **

**The word repeated in his mind as he and Runa allowed those feelings that had been bottled up for so long to finally be free.**

Runa's heart soared as Loki kissed her, pulling her closer until she was sitting on his lap. She was drowning in sensation, the delicious, cool taste of him like a drug on her tongue. His hands were in her hair and when he tipped her head back to kiss along her neck, she moaned softly. Her own hands found their way around his middle, touching his sides and up his back, exploring freely until she was pushing his open shirt off, wanting to feel his shoulders and arms as well, impropriety be damned.

**Loki moaned as her hands explored his body, wanting her to be everywhere at once. His movements became more frenzied as his desire mounted into a burning need, and he broke their kiss long enough to unlace the front of her dress and allow her breasts to fall free.**

**He marveled at her nakedness, and reverently brought his hands to her chest, his mouth near watering with the urge to devour those beautiful globes of flesh. He squeezed them gently, then took her nipples between her fingers and rolled them softly, watching her face and her eyes to ensure she enjoyed the sensation as much as he enjoyed the view.**

Runa shifted so she was straddling Loki directly, pressing herself against the hard flesh at his groin.

Her eyes closed as he cupped her breasts, back arching in pleasure as he rolled her nipples with skilled fingers.

“Loki, yes...more,” she breathed, her own hands tangling in his hair, angling his head down toward her chest as she rocked her hips against him.

**With her breathy words urging him on, he wrapped his lips around her nipple, moaning loudly when her soft skin met his tongue. He suckled and squeezed her, letting her lean forward on him and press her hot sex against his hardening mahood.**

**“Runa...** **_Norns_ ** **, Runa...” Loki whispered against her, taking everything he had wanted and waited for and dreamed of for all those days and nights in the wilderness.**

**He yearned to be one with her, to meld into her flesh, to show her how desperately he cared for her and to bring her to the heights of ecstasy. With that one thought in mind, he moved his hands to pull up the skirts of her dress, drawing the fabric along her thighs.**

The pull of his mouth on her nipple made Runa feel wild. The sensation was exquisite, pleasure arching from the tips of her breasts right to her core.

As Loki slid his hand up the bare skin of her thigh, Runa kissed him with renewed passion, near violent with building lust.

She moaned as his fingers brushed the lips of her sex, kissing along his jaw, taking the lobe of his ear between her teeth as her hands moved to the fastening of his pants.

**As she freed him from the confines of his breeches, his breath shuddered. It had been** **_so_ ** **long since he’d been this intimate with anyone, and he couldn’t deny he was nervous. But her body urged him on, that hooded gaze driving him mad with desire. He aligned himself with her center, the warmth of her slick coating him and inviting him inside...**

**He looked into her eyes as he penetrated her, watching her face as he took the most precious reward he’d ever been offered and found himself surrounded by Runa’s irresistible, sweltering heat. Breath failed him.**

Runa’s mouth fell open as she gasped, eyes rolling for a moment as she took Loki’s considerable manhood inside her. She relished the feeling of being stretched by him. It was all-consuming.

She clasped his face between her hands, their foreheads touching as she started to move, aided by Loki’s hands on her hips.

“Gods,” she breathed, her voice a ragged rasp as the pleasure built. Every plunge down onto his cock bringing her closer and closer to ecstasy.

“Loki...” Her voice was a plea as she moved faster, the sounds of his moans and growls filling her ears, making her wild.

**Loki was in Valhalla, feeling her moving atop him, taking him, bringing him closer to his climax with her voice and her body and everything that had led up to this moment. His own movements became more hurried and desperate, his heart pounding in earnest as he began to pant in moaning grunts, his universe zooming in and focusing solely on Runa and the pleasure mounting between them.**

**He wanted to tell her he was close, that everything was coming to a head and he was about to lose himself in her body, that he wanted her to come...but the words were lost to him. All he could do was squeeze her more tightly, move more quickly, moan more loudly. He thought he would burst before she was ready, but then he felt the telltale clenching of her sex and he forced his eyes open to look at her, to watch her come undone with him.**

Runa’s eyes locked onto Loki’s, lost in that wonderful in-between space, orgasm imminent.

He squeezed her hips, pumping himself up into her with enough ferocity to send her crashing over the edge.

She came with a silent cry, mouth open, as her body seized, nearly lifting off his lap with the force of it. Each pulse of her orgasm sent wave after wave of pleasure coursing through her until her eyes fluttered shut. Loki’s breathy groan and final thrust made her cry out at last as he throbbed inside her, emptying himself until they were both limp, sagging against each other to stay upright.

**Loki stayed like that with her longer than was strictly necessary. He just couldn’t let her go, couldn’t stand the thought of this moment ending and them having to return to reality.**

**He kept his arms wrapped around her, his slowly softening cock relaxing out of her in a lazy faint.**

**Finally, he felt like something had to be said. He leaned back and looked at her, unsure of whether to smile or weep.**

**“You...are...incredible...” he said slowly, searching for the words to express himself. “Where do we go from here? I...I just have this urge to be near you...always.”**

Runa didn’t know what would come next, but she didn’t much care so long as she was with him. So she responded by pushing him back on the divan and kissing him soundly.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki struggles with his feelings about this new relationship, while Runa comes to terms with her reputation as a hero. Also, bath time!

**\- The Next Day -**

**Loki knocked on Frigga’s chamber door gently, holding Runa’s hand. He hadn’t stopped touching her in one way or another since the workshop - perhaps it was insecurity, or that it simply felt so good when their skin connected that he couldn’t get enough of it. Either way, he was determined to keep her by his side for as long as possible; truth be told, some deep part of him was honestly scared that if he let her go, somehow he would lose her.**

**And at the moment, he needed all the support he could get.**

**A servant opened the door several seconds later and allowed them entrance, and Loki’s face lit up when he saw Frigga: she was sitting upright, still in bed but already looking so much improved that he could hardly believe his eyes.**

Runa’s stomach fluttered with nerves as they entered the queen’s chambers. The morning had been...well, incredible. Better than she could have imagined. Her cheeks heated at the memory.

But as much as she was inclined to lay tangled with Loki all day, reality came for them when a servant arrived in Loki’s chambers with his lunch and a note that the queen was awake.

And indeed she was. She smiled at them when they walked in and Runa dropped into a small bow.

“Your Majesty.”

Frigga waved them closer with a hand, her keen eyes looking between them in a way that made Runa feel nearly naked.

“How do you feel this morning, my Queen?”

**“Much better. It seems the healing powers of the Midnight Flower were not understated. At this rate, I should be well within a few days.”**

**Frigga looked at Loki with a soft and knowing expression, and he hesitantly let go of Runa’s hand so she could approach the queen. She then took Runa’s hand between her own, squeezing softly. “Runa, I have heard what transpired on the moon from Thor...but he did not know what became of you and Loki while he and his men were in the marshes. Tell me, what became to you two? How were you separated from the group?”**

"Oh, that. Well, the cockatrices attacked us before...before they knew who we were. Loki jumped in front of one that was trying to strike me." She looked over at Loki and gave him a small smile. "And he and I were knocked into the river. The current was quite strong...Anyway, when we got to shore I was able to use some herbs and plants to treat his wound until we could travel. We encountered Albaron and I used the scroll." Runa shrugged.

**Loki went wide-eyed at her mild description of what happened. And she** **_shrugged_ ** **?! Like it was nothing?**

**“I’m sorry, but no,” Loki said, stepping forward and putting a hand on Runa’s shoulder. Even those few seconds without contact made him feel somewhat empty.**

**“I did jump in front of the attacking cockatrice to keep Runa from harm, and we were thrown into the river...but I was unconscious. Runa pulled me out, got me to land, and cared for me for two days and nights before I was coherent enough to even communicate. The wound I suffered would have killed me if not for her expertise and patience. Not to mention the cockatrices used the Rusilium Curse on Thor and myself when we first arrived. We were so sick we could hardly function, much less wield our magic.”**

**He looked at her, tears beginning to well in his eyes. “Runa, if not for you, all of us would be dead now - Frigga, Thor, all the men in the search party...myself. You saved** **_everyone_ ** **.”**

"I...well," Runa didn't know what to say and her face once again felt suddenly too warm. "I could not have lived with myself if anything happened to...either of you," she said, looking between the mother and son.

"I'm just glad I had enough knowledge to get us through it." She put a hand on Loki's cheek, wiping a stray tear.

**“Please, Runa,” Frigga said softly, beaming. “Your humility is endearing, but so unnecessary in this particular circumstance. Thor also made it clear that without you, this mission would have been a grave failure. You are a hero. As I knew you would be.”**

**Frigga smiled widely, her eyes shifting between the two.**

**“Which is why we are throwing a feast in your honor, and I will officially name you Hand of the Queen. From now on, you are a member of my special counsel, Runa. And someone I would consider a dear friend to myself and the royal family.”**

Runa nearly tumbled right off Frigga's bed. "Wh-what?" she stammered. "Your Majesty I...I don't know what to say. Thank you. I am deeply honored." She felt Loki take her hand again and give it a gentle squeeze. Now she was the one with tears in her eyes. She looked at him, incredulous, at a loss for words.

**Loki smiled happily and leaned down to give Frigga a soft kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, mother. She has more than earned it.”**

**Frigga brought her hand to his face, looking lovingly into his eyes, then pulled him forward to whisper in his ear. “And I am most happy for you, my son,” she said quietly...soft enough that Runa couldn’t hear. “Take care of her as she has taken care of you, and you will never again be lonely. I could not have asked for a better match for you, Loki.”**

**Somewhat shocked, Loki took a step back to be level with Runa once again, taking her hand in his and entwining their fingers together. Frigga laid back again with a happy sigh.**

**“You two should prepare for the feast - new outfits, perhaps a relaxing day at the baths? I’d say you deserve some rest after your adventure. Please...take all the time you need. Asgard is in your debt.”**

Runa bent to kiss Frigga’s hand. “You too, Allmother. Be well.”

Loki walked her back to her suite, both of them marveling at Frigga’s recovery. When they were inside, Runa brought him through her workshop to her adjoining living quarters. Standing in front of the empty hearth in her sitting room, Runa wrapped her arms around Loki’s neck hugging him tightly.

“I think I’m in a bit of shock. A feast in my honor. Hand of the Queen.” She laughed, slightly giddy. “My parents are going to be beside themselves!”

**Loki was still buzzing with Frigga’s words.**

**_...you will never again be lonely..._ **

**_I could not have asked for a better match for you, Loki._ **

**Things were happening so fast, and he was having trouble keeping up with his emotions and the dramatic change in environment. He hardly heard her...so when she looked at him with anticipation, he quickly snapped back to reality.**

**“Um, yes. I’m certain they will...”**

**_Norns...her parents...I have to meet her parents..._ **

**Putting his arms gently around her waist and encouraging her to lean against him, he tried to appear as enthusiastic as her...but now he saw her in a new light - as his partner, as his** **_wife_ ** **...as the mother of his children...**

**It was more than he could process in such a short period.**

She melted into Loki's embrace, leaning her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes for a moment. Happiness swelled up in her chest so fiercely she thought she might burst. Of course, she hadn't done anything for the glory, gods no. But to be honored in such a way, in front of the whole court...she had never imagined such a thing for herself.

Runa turned her head, nuzzling into Loki's neck. "I really can't believe the Queen is rewarding me like this," she sighed dreamily.

**“I’m thrilled for you Runa, truly. You’ve earned it.”**

**His voice even sounded flat to himself. He tried to keep it from sounding so obvious that his thoughts were elsewhere, but feeling her nuzzling him and being so affectionate...**

**_I’m going to ruin this, somehow..._ **

**There it was. That was the fear he was trying to understand, trying to cope with. Good things didn’t come to him like this...and the assurances of his mother only served to aid his anxiety.**

**Runa was too good for him, and he did not know what to do.**

"Mmm," Runa hummed as she began kissing Loki's throat. She ran her hands down his chest and back up again. "What else have I earned?" she asked, voice low and sultry as her tongue gently caressed the shell of his ear.

**Loki swallowed hard, now becoming aroused on top of everything else. He wanted to lose himself in her touch, let all these worries and fears go and just indulge in the sensations she gave him.**

**He tried. He turned to her and kissed her reverently, holding her face gently while their lips caressed each other. She was so soft, so warm...that same warmth began to blossom in his chest...**

**_...you will never again be lonely..._ **

**Loki pulled back and sighed sadly, resting his forehead against hers with his eyes closed, eyebrows peaking with frustration.**

**“Sorry, Runa...I’m...I’m tired. I think I should rest...”**

Runa pulled back to look at him, brows furrowed. “Is it your chest?” she asked, automatically laying a hand over his heart. “Do you want me to get the salve?”

**Norns her touch was electric...just like always. He shivered and smiled softly.**

**“No, my chest is fine. I’m...”**

**How could he tell her? How could he explain that he didn’t feel worthy of her love...even** **_thinking_ ** **the word scared him. He felt overwhelmed by the responsibility of what Frigga had said, but it felt strange to share it with her, to put that responsibility on her as well.**

**How could she love him? He didn’t even love himself...**

**“I’m tired...” he repeated. But this time, he held her closer.**

**“Maybe a bath will help. Would you...like to join me?”**

She smiled up at him. “That sounds lovely. And I have some extracts I can pour in with very therapeutic benefits. It’s one of my most requested items from the healers, actually. The bathing room is this way.”

She took his hand and led him through to the next room, sitting him on the little bench under the window.

He just let her lead him there, looking for all the world like a lost boy.

_ Norns, he really is tired. _

Walking over to her deep marble tub, she set the water running.

“I’m just going to grab the oil. Go ahead and get in when you’re ready,” she said, looking him over with some concern before she walked out.

**Loki smiled at her as she left, but as soon as she was gone he let out a heavy sigh and pushed his hands into his hair.**

**He didn’t want to let her down. Ever. And it already seemed like he was doing so, just in his nervousness and uncertainty. He had to pull himself together.**

**Breathing deeply, he closed his eyes and tried to calm his nerves. She was utterly incredible, there was no denying that. And she** **_adored_ ** **him...which he had a hard time understanding. But it hadn’t felt this way on the moon - no, he’d felt confident, comfortable. It was like he had been a different person there, and now that he was home, he was falling back into his old patterns.**

**The patterns that had made him bitter and lonely.**

**He couldn’t go back to that.**

**Steeling himself, he stood and undressed, folding his clothes neatly on the bench before settling into the rising water. The scars on his chest still surprised him when he saw them...but he was glad that now they were just another thing to get used to.**

**He leaned his head back over the marble edge of the tub and closed his eyes, consciously trying to relax.**

When Runa walked back into the bathing chamber, Loki was in the tub looking slightly more serene than she’d see him a moment ago.

She huffed a sigh of relief, leaning over the steaming water to add a few drops of liquid from the vial she carried.

“You look better already,” she said with a smile. And then she began to undress.

**“There has been much on my mind. Many significant changes have happened at once...and I’m a creature of habit, despite my proclivity for chaotic moments,” he replied without opening his eyes.**

**The warm water certainly was helping to ease his tension, and the oil she’d added to the bath smelled of lavender and eucalyptus. He inhaled deeply and continued to try and let go of his worries.**

**When he felt the water shift, indicating that Runa had joined him, he slowly opened his eyes, taking her in. And unconsciously, he grinned.**

**She was so beautiful. Certainly, he had noticed it in the wilderness, but it hadn’t been at the forefront of his mind. Now, though...he recognized that she truly was gorgeous, especially naked.**

Runa had pinned her long hair atop her head before getting in the tub, but already the steam was making it curl around her face and the nape of her neck.

She smiled back at Loki, moving to straddle his thighs. She reached behind him, pulling a bar of soap and a washcloth off the shelf. He moved to take it but she swatted his hand away.

“Let me wash you.”

**Looking deep into her eyes...he stopped resisting. Finally, under her touch, under her gaze, under her body...he could feel his anxiety slipping, being replaced by a yearning to just be with her, here, in this moment.**

**Silently, he rested his hands on her hips under the water, and allowed her to do as she pleased.**

Runa was in no rush as she washed him thoroughly, spending extra time on his neck and shoulders, massaging the tense muscles beneath.

She scooted back to massage his legs, working down the tops of his thighs, his calves, and his feet, at which point Loki made a weak little sound in the back of his throat, resting his head again on the back of the tub as his eyes fluttered.

She bit her lip, holding back a smile. “When was the last time you were pampered like this, your Highness?” She asked teasingly as she began to work back up his calves.

**“There never was a ‘last time’...” he admitted with an indulgent groan, lifting his head just enough to look at her. And he almost instantly had to look away - that expression on her face was so...** **_Runa_ ** **, that he found himself nearly losing his ability to think straight. Runa, naked and wet, washing him in a bathtub, with that incomparable expression...again, he began to feel overwhelmed and nervous.**

**Norns, what was wrong with him?!**

**But then she kept touching him, massaging him, moving her skilled and now-familiar hands along his body...and those fears left once again.**

**“Consider yourself sire to my virginal pampering, oh great and powerful Runa,” he grinned mischievously.**

“Oh, I quite like the sound of that.” She moved again, sliding her hands up his thighs, veering towards his erection. But at the last moment she slid them away. She flipped herself around, pushing his legs apart to scoot between them.

“My turn” she said, handing the bar of soap to him over her shoulders as she very deliberately pressed her backside up against his cock.

**Loki moaned and swallowed thickly, feeling his cock twitch as she leaned against it. He felt so unusual...but it wasn’t bad. It was just...different. And** **_highly_ ** **sexual.**

**He scrubbed the soap on the cloth to work up a lather, then began to wash her neck and shoulders, careful not to wet her hair. He moved down her arms, lifting them out of the water and delicately running the cloth along her soft skin, then across her collar bones...**

**Did he dare?**

**_Norns_ ** **yes.**

**His hands slid along her breasts, pulling her closer to him as he did so. He felt her shudder and stretch, and suddenly he didn’t feel so awkward - she** **_wanted_ ** **this, and he was eager to give it to her.**

Runa let out a soft moan of pleasure, arching into his touch, pushing her breasts into his hands.

And as her torso bowed away from his chest, she reached one hand behind her back, grasping his cock under the water and stroking up and down its length.

**When she arched back, Loki took the opportunity to kiss her neck, nibbling and sucking the skin delicately. He pushed himself into her hand along with the rhythm of her movement, allowing their bodies to move and entwine as the water splashed between them.**

**“Oh, Runa...” Loki growled as the feel of her body against his took him further and further away from his fear and brought him closer and closer to her.**

Loki’s touch was utterly intoxicating. He held her close, kissing her neck, his hands working her breasts until she felt the pressure building between her legs.

She pressed her thighs together, squirming. Turning her head, she found Loki’s mouth and kissed him deeply, their tongues dancing.

All the while she pumped him with her fist behind her back, until she felt his hand sliding down her belly to the apex of her thighs.

“Gods, Loki,” she rasped, letting go of him to grip the sides of the tub with both hands.

**Loki’s fingers threaded through the silky curls of hair, gently searching for that sensitive spot between her legs. And when she moaned and arched again, breathy and needy, he grinned. Using the pads of his fingers, he made large, slow circles, adjusting the pressure based on how she reacted.**

**And she was reacting beautifully, eyes closed in ecstasy, lips slightly open and softly keening as he continued to play with her.**

**Finally, he spun her around, pulling her higher up on his lap and feeling her slick on his cock even in the water. He swallowed hard, looking into her eyes and feeling so vulnerable it almost hurt...the scars on his chest felt far too new.**

**But he could see in the expression on her face...she didn’t care about any of that. Her hooded gaze and sultry smile said it all.**

Runa lowered herself onto Loki’s cock with trembling limbs. She was already so close.

His hands were on her hips and then his mouth was...everywhere. Kissing her mouth, her throat, her breasts.

She came within seconds, water sloshing right out of the tub as she cried out, limbs seizing as she grasped onto Loki.

**Loki watched with elation as Runa came on his cock, tensing and squeezing around him as he held his breath and felt the heat rush to his face. He held firm inside her, allowing that first orgasm to linger as long as she liked, and when it appeared she had crested...he began to thrust inside her in a lazy, rocking rhythm.**

**He stroked the chaotically freed strands of hair away from her face, smiling up at her almost in disbelief. Had she always been this beautiful, or was it the afterglow of completion that made her especially irresistible?**

**“That was nice,” he chuckled softly, allowing her to lean on him as she recovered. “I’d be happy to give you another, if you’re feeling so inclined,” he teased.**

Runa laughed weakly into the crook of his neck. “Nice...what a mild way of putting it. Mmmm, I don’t think either of us will have a choice if you keep—oh—doing that!”

Her nails started scraping along his shoulders and back as the pleasure started to build in her again.

Norns, had it ever been this good with anyone else? Runa felt enraptured by Loki’s every touch, the sound of his voice...she never wanted it to end.

**Loki was relaxing, finally. She wasn’t asking any hard questions, or demanding things of him that made him uncomfortable...he’d assumed once they returned to Asgard she would have become someone different, someone he no longer knew. But she was STILL the same woman he’d known in the wilderness, and it filled his heart with joy.**

**He smiled seductively as he felt her nails trailing along his back, and he pulled out of her just long enough to change their position - he went behind her as she leaned over the edge of the tub, grabbing her hips and pushing deep into her slick channel, moving slowly and preparing to take her once again.**

**“Comfortable?” He asked the back of her head as he slid smoothly in and out of her.**

“Yesss,” she hissed, eyes wide as she adjusted to the new position.

_ Oh gods. Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods. _

He felt  _ so  _ much deeper this way, she could hardly breath.

“Loki,” she moaned, arching her back and pushing herself into his hips.

**He took her roughly as she moaned his name, water splashing between them as he snapped his pelvis against her and drove her again to the brink of Valhalla. And as she seized up and clenched him again, he stayed firm and unyielding, digging his fingers into the flesh of her hips and holding her still so she could ride out her orgasm.**

**He wanted to give her so much pleasure it would ruin her, again and again, until she was a quivering puddle of need, until she was devoid of thoughts and words and worries, until she laid limp in his arms and simply cuddled with him until she could move again.**

**And so...he did exactly that. And he only stopped after finally finding his own completion in the wet heat of her pussy.**

The bathwater was cold. Runa was vaguely aware of that and the goosebumps prickling up and down her shaking limbs. She had just come again for...what was it? The fourth time? The fifth? She wasn't sure. Her head rested limply atop her hands, still clutching the side of the tub.

And there was Loki. Still behind her, still inside her, growling through his own completion. She felt the press of his mouth on the back of her neck, the scrape of his teeth. Her lip trembled.

He said something then, but she couldn't make out the words in the pleasure-addle haze of her mind. She felt his arms lifting her, the gentle breeze of his magic drying them as he carried her into her bedroom.

**Loki set her naked body down gently on her bed - pulling the pins from her auburn hair and allowing it to spread across the silver velvet blankets and pillows - the sight of it nearly made him lose his breath. The image of her as an angel flashed through his mind again, and he suddenly felt the need to touch her, to be sure she was solid.**

**He laid on the bed behind her, wrapping his arms around her torso and stomach and pulling a blanket over them. She was so warm, and clean...and he was so sleepy...**

**He was dead to the world before his mind could process another thought, lost in the glory of a rare afternoon nap.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go, folks! Thank you so much for reading and going on this adventure with Loki and Runa!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Runa attend the ceremony in her honor, and things begin to return to normal...or do they?

When Runa's eyes fluttered open, the deep golden light of late afternoon was flooding her bedroom through the gauzy curtains. Her body felt sore in the most wonderful way, and she gave a small stretch, feeling Loki's solid form behind her.

Smiling to herself, she turned over to face him. He was still asleep, one arm draped loosely over her waist. She marveled at the sight of him. In her bed. Naked. Sleeping peacefully after a truly impressive bout of love-making.

_ Love _ .

The word sent a jolt through her as she thought it. But her heart swelled, and she knew it rang true. She did love  _ him _ , at the very least. And that was all she needed to know for now.

Her eyes dropped down to the still-healing scars on his chest, and she traced her fingers gently over the three lines before bending her head down to softly press her lips upon them. They really had been through a lot together in a short amount of time.

**Loki awoke to the feeling of Runa gently kissing the scars across his chest. With a deep inhale, he stretched automatically, his feet falling off the edge of her bed as he expanded to his full length, and he smiled down at her, marveling at the way her hazel eyes sparkled in the late afternoon light.**

**And he never wanted to let her go. He kissed the top of her head softly, smiling into her hair as he pulled her closer.**

**“Hi,” he laughed, quite unsure exactly what to say, as his heart pounded and a strong emotion that only she made him feel started building in his chest.**

**“How do you feel?”**

"Mmmm..." Runa hummed by way of answer, wrapping her arms around him. "Good. A little sore. A bit hungry, actually."

She scooted up the bed a bit to face him more fully. "How do you feel? Still tired? Was your bath as restful as you hoped it would be?" she teased, grinning up at him.

**“Restful? No, I’m afraid not. But I do feel much better, all the same.”**

**That same ease he’d felt with her back in the cockatrice village had returned, and he thrummed with elation - this something between himself and Runa was turning into a wonderful, blossoming relationship...**

**It seemed an appropriate time to take the next step.**

**“Come. Let’s get dressed. I want to take a stroll through the gardens with you before the sun sets and we must prepare for dinner. And I’d love for you to enlighten me about all the plants and flowers...perhaps allow me to collect a bouquet of your favorites?”**

Runa smiled widely. “That sounds lovely.”

Shortly after, Runa found herself taking Loki along her favorite garden path, all but pulling him toward a bed of Midgardian Euphorbia.

“I think you’ll appreciate this one. Look, the blooms are green, not just the leaves and stems!”

**“Well, I do love green,” he grinned as he selected several of the most verdant flowers and picked them for her growing bouquet.**

**She had been leading him around for some time, and he happily allowed her to take him by the hand. He wondered if she saw the other nobles side-eying them, taking note of the new intimacy between one of the Princes of Asgard and the woman who would soon outrank every one of them. Her feast had been announced, and it was scheduled for several days later, once Frigga had time to recover fully.**

**“Any other blossoms you particularly enjoy...darling?”**

**He tested the term of endearment on his tongue, seeing how it fit. He had called her** **_darling_ ** **when he had rescued her from her mind, but now that they weren’t in imminent danger...he still liked it. He was, however, curious to see how she responded.**

Runa paused on her way up from smelling a rose.

_ Darling? _

Her stomach did a funny little flip as she blinked up at him. But then she smiled.

“There is, actually.” She kissed him on the cheek and took his hand. “The timing should be perfect too.”

She led them further along the path, deeper into the gardens, up to a raised stone dais. They walked up the three steps to a small boxed garden bed.

Tiny yellow buds were tightly closed all over the elegantly shaped bush.

Loki gave her a questioning look, but she just shook her head. “Watch.”

As the sun continued its descent toward the horizon, the angle of the light slanted until it hit the petals just right. All at once the blossoms opened, as though eager to swallow the golden light into their fiery red centers.

“Fire blossoms from Vanaheim.”

**“Beautiful...” he said softly...but he wasn’t looking at the flowers.**

**The way Runa lit up when she was sharing her passion for flora was truly endearing, and it still made Loki’s heart beat harder when that smile brightened her face.**

**“Will they close if we pick a few of them for your bouquet? I’d hate to ruin them...”**

“They should stay open for a day or two, if I keep them in a sunny spot.”

She turned to put her arms around his waist, rising on her toes to give him a kiss.

“This was so lovely. I never...” But she trailed off, distracted by some movement over Loki’s shoulders.

A few of the court ladies were blatantly watching Runa and Loki over a low hedge, whispering to each other behind their hands.

**Loki felt her stiffen and heard the hushed voices behind them. He grinned, nuzzling Runa’s nose with the tip of his own.**

**“Ignore them,” he whispered. “Or, if you feel like it, you could wink at them. That’s the look of jealousy, Runa. And I daresay you’ve more than earned it.”**

**Then he kissed her deeply, passionately,** **_publicly_ ** **. He wanted everyone to see, everyone to know he was courting Runa officially. And a hot-and-heavy making out in the garden was the perfect way to do it.**

Runa let out a little squeak of surprise as Loki pulled her against him, but any thoughts of the watching ladies was soon forgotten.

In fact, with the way he was kissing her, all thoughts were forgotten. Her arms twined around his neck as his lips moved against hers, coaxing out her tongue with his own. She reveled in the taste of him, his clean, masculine scent, the hard muscled lines of his body as he stood tall and proud in the garden, kissing her for all to see.

He was making a statement, she realized. Staking his claim on her. The thought made her giddy, and she kissed him back with renewed fervor.

_ Let them watch _ , she thought.  _ He is mine _ .

**Loki broke their kiss, holding her shoulders gently as he gazed into her eyes.**

**“Are they still watching us?” he said with a satisfied smirk. He could see the joy in her face - she knew what all this public display of affection meant. They were together, and now everyone who mattered knew it.**

It took Runa a moment to come back to reality, but when she did, she nodded. With a soft chuckle, Loki kissed the top of her head and the two of them headed back to the palace for dinner.

***

The next week was one of the happiest in Runa’s life. Each evening she spent with Loki: strolling the palace grounds, lounging by the fire in his private study, sharing their evening meal, tumbling into one of their beds... And though she did need to return to her duties as the Royal Botanist, Loki visited her at lunch time, which often resulted in her stumbling back into her workshop an hour later than she planned, hair and dress askew.

She was busier than ever, as part of her new position in the Queen’s counsel granted her additional staff, and she spent most mornings pouring over applications and meeting with candidates.

One of her biggest surprises that week was the royal tailor paying her a visit on behest of the Queen, who had ordered a new dress made for her for the feast. And so despite her initial protestations, Runa found herself getting ready for the feast (with handmaids, for Norns’ sake) in a custom gown.

She had to admit, it was stunning craftsmanship. The deep green dress was edged with the finest needlework: pale green and gold leaves and vines, woven together so expertly it nearly resembled lace. The bodice and sleeves were also trimmed with gold, and when her ladies added gold pins to her hair and a shimmering gold dust to her eyelids, Runa hardly recognized herself.

_ By the Nines, I haven't been this fixed up since my parents threw me that awful debutante party. _

Nonetheless, she smiled at herself in the mirror, giving the flowing skirt an experimental twirl.

**Loki knocked gently on the frame of Runa’s open door, drawing her attention from her admittedly gorgeous reflection. Norns...when she turned to look at him, it took his breath away. She was a vision of perfection, stunning in her gown that was so exactly her, with its meandering embroidered vines and leaves.**

**“Hello, darling,” he smiled as he stepped inside, bedecked in his formal armor. He had to duck just a bit to avoid hitting the top of the doorframe with his horns.**

**“You look...incredible. Are you the same woman that saved my life in the wilderness for days on end?”**

Gods...Loki looked so good in his armor. It had long been a weakness of hers.

“Actually, I feel a bit more like a character from a fairy tale.” She turned back to her reflection, putting a finger to her lip as though thinking very hard. “If only I had a handsome prince on my arm. That would really complete the look, don’t you think?”

**“I couldn’t agree more...” he grinned as he walked toward her. He was just about to link arms with her when he suddenly pulled away and held his chin like he was deep in thought.**

**“Where IS Thor, anyway? He certainly would add that final touch of fantasy!”**

**He laughed when Runa punched him playfully, and he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and looked at their reflection over her shoulder.**

**“Guess you’ll have to settle for me. Sorry about that.”**

“There is nothing about you to settle for, my prince,” she said, reaching up to kiss his cheek.

**Loki nearly blushed as she kissed him, getting that warm, fuzzy feeling running up and down his spine that had become almost commonplace since he and Runa started courting. He couldn’t remember ever being so happy before in his life - finally, he felt like he had found someone with whom he could just be himself, with no pretense or defensiveness. He’d been so guarded for so long that letting Runa into his heart, even for just this short period of time, made him feel like a new man. A better man.**

**“It’s almost time to go. How are you feeling? Nervous?”**

“Um, a bit,” Runa admitted, taking Loki’s arm as they turned toward the door.

And with each step closer to the banquet hall, she held onto his arm a little more tightly.

She wondered what her parents would make of her and Loki. They were sweet people, but they never could quite understand her obsession with plants, or her desire to pursue academics instead of marrying a wealthy lord. The irony of their former frustration was not lost on her.

The doors to the hall opened and Runa could not suppress the small gasp that escaped her lips.

She had seen the hall in its full glory before, for holidays and special feasts, but never anything like this. Garlands of flowers hung from every chandelier, across all the windows and doors, and lined each long table. And along the walls, real trees in giant pots stood like sentinels, their branches draped in lights.

Runa was in awe. The head gardener really outdid himself. She’d have to thank him personally.

But perhaps the best part of all was Frigga, sitting at the head table next to Odin, beaming at the pair of them.

**Loki’s heart soared when he saw the hall’s decorations - everything was perfect for Runa! But when he looked at her face...he nearly melted.**

**Pride, elation, and wonder marked her features like brushstrokes on a painting, conveying all her emotions as works of art. He could hardly look at anything else as they walked down the center pathway to the head table to join his parents, even with the entire Asgardian court standing and applauding Runa as she went.**

**He felt her grip tighten on his arm, but she handled the attention with the grace and elegance of a princess. His chest swelled with love - she deserved all of the praise for her bravery on the moon.**

**Once they got close to the table, Loki gave her one last kiss on the cheek before taking his position at the head table, leaving the spot between himself and Frigga open for when Runa would join them.**

**As Runa bowed at the foot of the dais, Frigga stood, and the hall went silent.**

**“It is not often that a queen finds she needs her life saved, but in my hour of greatest hopelessness, I am fortunate to have had a courageous group of people willing to risk their own lives to find the cure for the illness that nearly killed me.**

**“I sent Runa on this mission with my sons and the brave soldiers that accompanied them because her botanical knowledge is unparalleled in the realm, and I knew finding and returning with the Midnight Flower would require her special skills and care. But also because I saw in her heart the strength to persevere in the darkest of times. And now that they have returned and I am well...I have heard the tale of their adventure. Runa saved my son Loki from certain death while in the wilderness. She overcame incredible odds and found it within herself to befriend a misunderstood enemy. And she has proven herself in combat - though she is little, she is fierce.”**

**The crowd chuckled, and Loki’s heart fluttered at the blush that spread across Runa’s face as she remained bowed.**

**“All of your achievements have brought you here today, Runa,” Frigga said directly to her with a bright smile. “And it is with great pleasure that I officially bestow upon you the title of Hand to the Queen. Rise, Lady Runa, and take your place at my side.”**

Runa walked up to the head table on trembling legs as the whole room applauded. She knew she was blushing, but she couldn’t stop smiling either.

As she arrived at her seat Frigga embraced her warmly, and Runa tried to put a lot of unsaid things into that hug.

She looked to Loki as she sat, wanting to say something, but all she could manage was, “Wow.”

**Loki took her shaking hand under the table and squeezed it gently, simply smiling and offering his support as Runa and Frigga chatted.**

**He looked around the room, at the gathered nobles, at the lush plants and flowers adorning the hall, at his family - all beaming at Runa with affection and pride...**

**And she was with** **_him_ ** **.**

**Words failed him. It felt like a dream, to be surrounded by such love and life. And as he gazed at Runa and she turned and smiled back at him, her eyes dancing with happiness in the warm glow of the firelight illuminating her ceremony...Loki realized how much he looked forward to a future with her.**

The feast carried on in a whirlwind of delicious aromas and tastes as plate after plate of Asgard's finest cuisine was brought out. Runa had more than her fair share of mead, and her face felt unceasingly flushed and warm by the time dessert was brought out.

"Oh, these are my favorite!" Runa cried, snatching a chocolate cream tart off the tray before the server could even set it before her. She moaned in delight at the first bite, not even bothering to use her fork.

"I think I could eat chocolate at every meal for the rest of my life and not ever be sick of it." She sighed contentedly, leaning a bit heavily onto Loki's shoulder. "Norns, I don't think I can eat another bite though."

Reaching a hand up, Runa traced a finger along Loki's jaw, smiling dreamily. "You're very handsome, do you know that?"

**“You know, I had a hunch, but I’m glad you’ve confirmed it,” Loki laughed as Runa’s inhibitions were summarily forgotten. She was so full of life and enthusiasm that he often found himself smiling while watching her and not even realizing it. He was happy she was enjoying her celebration, but as the night wore on, he longed to have some time with her to himself. He leaned over and whispered, making sure his lips brushed the shell of her ear as he did so.**

**“Why don’t you and I take a break from the festivities and explore the night-blooming flowers of the garden?”**

**He took her hand and stood, allowing her to lean on him as he pulled her upright out of her chair.**

Runa let Loki lead her away from the noise of the hall and outside into the moonlit garden. The chill night air was so refreshing and she felt her head beginning to clear as they walked.

They were silent for a few moments, and Runa was lost in thought reflecting on the wonderful night—the honor from Frigga, the applause from the gathered Asgardian nobles, the wonderful decorations, delicious food, and Loki. Loki, by her side, holding her hand, smiling at her, making her laugh.

Her heart swelled in her chest as she looked upon the prince beside her and she was overcome with the need to kiss him. So she did.

**Loki pulled Runa close as she kissed him, wrapping his arms around her waist and still somewhat unbelieving that she was his. He felt so good...he wanted to make the night even more special.**

**Softly, music began to play from nowhere in particular. A slow, romantic melody of strings and flutes floated through the air, and she broke their kiss when she heard the sound of it.**

**Loki smiled warmly, bringing her arms to his shoulders.**

**“Care to dance, darling?” he said as he rested his forehead on hers, beginning to sway gently in the moonlight.**

Runa chuckled softly. “Just when I thought tonight couldn’t get any better.”

She closed her eyes, following Loki’s leisurely rhythm, breathing in the sweet scent of the garden flowers.

“Loki...”she began, trying to find the words. “When the Queen asked me to go with you and Thor to find the Midnight Flower, nothing could have stopped me. I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I didn’t try to help. But now, with everything that happened after...I mean, I’m not glad she was cursed or for what happened to you,” she laid her hand over his heart, “but at the same time I just feel so....lucky.”

She bit her lip looking up at him. “I’m not making any sense am I ?”

**“You’re making perfect sense, Runa,” he said gently as he kissed her forehead. “I have tried so many times in my life to understand** **_why_ ** **things happen the way they do...and it’s near impossible. I have a sense that Frigga can see what is to come, though not completely clearly. I’m not at all surprised that her sending you with us led to this.”**

**As he spoke, the flowers around them began to blossom and shimmer in the moonlight, opening their petals to the pale illumination. Some sparkled like diamonds, some glowed with eerie iridescence, and a few seemed to shudder gently, as if aware of Runa and Loki’s presence.**

**With a contented sigh, Loki rested his cheek on top of Runa’s head. “If only I’d known when you and Hazel came running down the Bifrost on that first day that I’d fall in love with you by the time we’d returned...”**

Runa stilled, heart thundering. "Love? You're in love with me?"

Her eyes were wet as she gazed up at Loki, and she thought that the trees stilled as well, as though holding their breath, waiting...

**“Well...yes...” Loki fumbled his words. Truthfully...he hadn’t meant to say “love” - it just came out! And he had barely noticed until she’d asked him.**

**But...he did. As strange as it was to admit, even to himself...** **_he loved her_ ** **.**

**With a calming breath, he gathered himself, took her hands in his, and gazed deeply into her eyes.**

**“Yes, Runa. I love you, with all my heart. I never want to leave your side - you make me feel complete. Do...do you feel the same?”**

Runa nodded as her eyes filled up. "Yes. I love you, Loki."

His smile was triumphant as he leaned down to kiss her once more before wrapping her up in his arms. They swayed to the music, and in her elation, Runa could have sworn the trees began to dance with them.

**-THE END-**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, the final chapter. So bittersweet. It's really been a ride. Thank you, dear readers, for joining Loki and Runa on their adventure through wild terrain, unknown dangers, and matters of the heart. We hope we made you gasp and swoon in equal measure. We would love to hear from you, one final time, in the comments. That's all, folks! 
> 
> ....or is it?


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